Premature Peach Blossoms

Global warming is screwing up Lunar New Year: propitious peach blossoms are popping out two weeks early.

In Chinese tradition, a peach blossom that blooms on the first day of Lunar New Year is considered highly auspicious; it's a sign of certain good fortune for the coming year.

But as 95% of peach trees have bloomed, people wishing to decorate homes and businesses will have to pay more for ones that have not yet flowered. The other problem is that once the flowers appear, they don't stay on the tree long. No one wants a tree which litters the floor just days after delivery, leaving nothing but bare twigs.

The farmers around our house have been working hard to prepare their trees for the Year of the Pig, but despite their best efforts, even they can't prevent early flowering.

I hope they don't lose their shirts on this year's harvest.

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