Spring has definitely arrived here at Peninsula Community Library.  Snuggled as we are amidst orchards of cherry and apple trees, a patron commented the other day that he felt that he was living in the dreamy mist of a painting by Claude Monet.  It is definitely a picture perfect setting.  Once in a while, the heady fragrance of the blossoms wafts in through an open door and we feel as if we could float on out with it.

Fruit trees are a long time way of life here on Old Mission Peninsula.  Much of the original art on display in our library, all the work of local artists, depicts the fruit trees in various seasons, mostly in their frothy spring blossoms.  Interestingly enough, only one oil painting shows the bare branches of those trees in the harshness of winter.  Without question, spring is the favorite, at least through the eyes of our artists. 

Not all of us are farmers here on Old Mission, but the orchards, as well as the vineyards that have covered the hills in more recent years, are certainly a part of our identity as a community. Magazines and tour books tell of bike tours, wine tastings, scenic drives and more on both the main and backroads of our 18 mile long peninsula.  Many Old Mission teenagers will find summer jobs on shaking crews in the summers when the fruit is ready to be harvested.  Others will work the fruit stands along the main routes.  While tart cherries are the predominant crop here, farmers grow enough sweets to lure the tourists with paper cones of cherries for munching and lugs of cherries to cart home.  A special treat later in the year will be dried cherries, especially the ones dipped in chocolate - yum! 

A special program at PCL in May, Bees to Blossoms, is co-sponsored by PCL and the Northwest Michigan Farm Bureau.  The program features one of the most important aspects of growing fruit in our region - the relationship between honeybees, beekeepers, farmers and the consumer.  A fully equipped, geared-up beekeeper will talk about the processes, issues and procedures of what he considers his art, as well as tales of the job.  Visitors will be invited to touch, try on and try out.  This is truly meant to be a hands-on event.  And, while I may not go near a live hive, I certainly enjoy the fruits of the hive in my tea and on morning biscuits.   The honey sampling might be my favorite part of the whole day.  Bees, blossoms, honey, fruit - the art of life on Old Mission.  What a pleasant picture!

"The men of experiment are like the ant, they only collect and use.  But the bee...gathers its materials from the flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own."

 Leonardo da Vinci