Before the Hurricane, We Are Already Blasted -- by Acorns

The ostrich is unscathed -- but every acorn represents a concussion right over our heads.

We are waiting for Hurricane Joaquin on Long Island, but meantime we are being blasted by the worst barrage of acorns I can remember.

I know, if we lived in the city, it would be car horns and construction noise. But this is like nothing I have ever heard.

The massive oaks over our heads are dropping acorns, which clatter on first impact and then skitter all the way down the roof and land with a thud on the deck.

Why this year? Is it another sign of the Apocalypse -- like the joker with the orange mop braying at us?

Nobody around here remembers such a crop of acorns. I went to the Web and came up with an article that said acorns are not necessarily cyclical – or even a direct reaction to drought or dampness – but rather an intricate computer-tree response to predators. Very impressive.

http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/woods-whys-acorns-weather

If I read this right, oaks drop their seeds (noisy little missiles) in years when birds and squirrels and other perceived threats are least hungry. This gives seeds a chance to survive – in lawns, flower beds and open space.

There are worse things to worry about right now, but meantime, a few feet over our heads, the acorns are obeying the law of gravity.

Now if the oaks stay put during Joaquin….