Thursday, July 16, 2020

Trees



I had a touch of Sadness on my walk today. Yet another of my neighborhood's towering old trees is being taken down a few blocks away from my home. It was a lofty silver maple, many stories high, its trunk straight and true. There was no way to tell why it was coming down today after decades of life. It looked tragic and undignified standing there, stripped of all its lower boughs and branches, like an old man who was nearly naked in front of a crowd of onlookers who weren't going to help him, but merely look and move along.

I have a special affinity for trees. One of the things I like best about my neighborhood is that its streets are tree-lined, and the trees are old and big and gracious. They have an almost paternal feel, as if they are sheltering and protecting the homes and sidewalks they shade. While I walk my route, I often reach out and brush the leaves of trees or pat their trunks. I notice their changes--or their staid, static presences. In the spring the flowering trees bring me incredible joy. In the fall the colours of the trees never fail to awe me. In the summer their green abundance makes me feel content and serene. 

My deep affection for trees was fostered by my father, who truly did love Nature in all its forms. Our back yard was a Nature Preserve in which he fussed over his roses and his trees with equal adoration. My father was the only person I ever knew who watered his mature trees. We had a huge maple, a box elder, a cherry tree, an apple tree, a weeping willow, a locust tree, a plum tree, and a peach tree, and those were just in the back yard of our tiny bungalow home. He never had a sprinkler, either. He'd just turn the nozzle of the hose to a fine spray, prop it up on a brick, and let it run. I can see him in my mind's eye, patting the huge split maple on its grey trunk and saying, "It's been hot with no rain. This tree needs some water, too." 

But my father didn't only love his own trees. Often, when we went to visit my grandmother and grandfather--my mother's parents--Dad would get bored. Much of what they talked about concerned people he didn't care about or know, and it didn't do a lot for us kids, either. My father would say, "I'm going to take the kids on a Nature Walk." I loved these walks, which went all around the quiet tree-lined streets and alleyways of my grandparents' neighborhood. We would stop and smell flowers and tree blossoms. We would find and look at seed pods or other interesting things. And when we came to some strong, old trees, my father would stop. "Look at this old tree," he'd say. "Look at this bark and its good straight trunk. Can you imagine how old it is and what it's seen? Why don't you give it a good hug?" 

Other times, he'd talk about the shape of the crown of the tree or if the tree needed to be pruned and why that was important. If it was a really warm day, we'd often stop and sit in the shade of a tree, right on someone's lawn. My father didn't worry about such things. "Feel how much cooler it is under a tree?" he'd say. He loved leaning against tree trunks, resting his often sore back, feeling the strength of the tree. I loved these walks, these times with my father, and my love for trees grew, too. 

Today on my walk it was warm and humid. I chose the shady side of each street, welcoming the cool dim shadow of the trees as they gave me respite from the summer heat. I reached for the soft fringes of the magnificent pine on the corner, marveling at its new growth. I noticed small pods of buckeyes already formed on the tree a few paces away. I smiled at the crabapple tree full of chattering sparrows, barely visible in its leafy crown. 

It's been hot here lately. The trees need water. I hope it rains soon.



image

44 comments:

  1. It's always sad to see a tree---especially a mature one---go be it nature cause, weather damage or an act of man.

    Love the Nature Walks you got to enjoy with your dad. The tree hugs made me smile imagining it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jean--I agree; I almost feel shock when I see a mature tree's death.

      I often wonder if Nature Walks would even be a possibility in this day and age with kids. A slow walk with no set agenda ahead of time might not be enough for today's kids. Makes me feel a little sad.

      Delete
    2. It is possible, it's just not like our memories with our kids walks. Different times, I guess. Nature never disappoints.

      Delete
    3. susan q--That's sort of what I mean, though; it's not possible to take today's kids on the same kind of Nature Walk that we took. They just need more; they expect entertainment.

      Delete
  2. I love this post; it really touched my heart. I'm so happy you have such good memories of your father and the fact that he showed you how to appreciate nature.
    I also love trees; they have such a story to tell us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BB Suz--Thank you. I think our memory softens over time and allows us to live with the best of the people we've lost.

      Trees really do stand with such silent testament to the years they've witnessed. They are history's secret keepers.

      Delete
  3. I just love how trees go hand in hand with your fathers heart and soul.!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kathy b--They really do. When I'm quietly among the trees, I always think of my father.

      Delete
  4. Such a lovely post Nance. We are a family of tree lovers too. My oldest brother is really into the BIGGEST trees - he hunts them down. OUr son told us the other day he and Mailing had walked with her mother and come across a tree (in the Valley Forge area) from Washington's time! Imagine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vera--Thank you. There are many, many Heritage Trees. I have always been fascinated by the ones in Gettysburg. Finding one from Washington's era is awesome, indeed. I would have wanted to spend some time with that tree.

      So glad to hear that your family loves trees, too. I'd love to be able to hear some of your brother's stories.

      Delete
  5. Two of our trees have died this summer and had to be cut down. It breaks my heart, though I know that life of a tree on a city block is not an easy one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bridget--I'm sorry to hear about your trees. City trees really do have a rougher life. The gifts they give go far beyond shade and beauty there. They will be sorely missed.

      Delete
  6. Beautiful, Nance! Prose as poetry. Your dad left you a beautiful legacy.

    We lived in many places when I was growing up, but the first twelve years of my life were spent in the northeast (I’m not counting the first three in Honolulu, lol.) My favorite neighborhood was a rural community on the Chesapeake Bay called Bay Ridge. My best friend and I often walked down the quiet roads where the tall, slim trees were like a forest of leafy cathedral spires. The houses were quite far apart, so we were always in and out of the ‘forests.’ One day we found a tree in a thickly wooded area with a very low, horizontal branch that was quite sturdy and perfect two little kids to sit on for a chat while we hatched out our plans for the day. We named it the “T-W” tree after the initials of our last names and it became our Saturday meeting place. Decades later, when I returned from Spain, I reconnected with my friend and we went to search out the T-W tree. It was still there.

    When my family moved to New Orleans the climate shock was tremendous, but what I missed the most was not being able to walk amongst my leafy friends or enjoy the absolute splendor of the changing colors in the autumn. That was always my favorite season of the year. We do see the trees change color where I live now, but it is not nearly the spectacular ‘tree rainbow’ of my youth. I miss that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ortizzle--Thank you. I think he did, too.

      Ah, a Friendship Tree! Is there anything better than sitting in a tree? Only sitting in it with a good friend. What a wonderful memory, and how thrilling to reconnect with your buddy and discover that your T-W Tree was still there!

      I love your phrase 'tree rainbow'. It reminds me of the landscape when I travel in Autumn.

      (You are one well-traveled lady, my dear! All that, and meeting a king, too!)

      Delete
    2. Living in so many places was due to my dad being in the military (although Spain was my own adventure, of course.) As for 'meeting a king'... yes, that was rather unique but actually not terribly unusual in Bahrain since he had a real penchant for 'anglos' and our brief meeting was all due to me getting a flat tire at the 'Sheikh's Beach' where only foreigners were allowed, lol. As far as encounters with a famous person, I cherish far more meeting President Kennedy (when we lived in Maryland), and him stopping on his way to a helicopter to shake the hand of each and every kid in my third grade class. I was pretty impressed at the time, but as the years go by... it becomes more and more symbolic in my mind, and given the current politics... I think how lucky I was that my teacher took us to see the end of the graduation ceremony for the Middies that year.

      Delete
    3. O.K., I just realized you might have been referring to the King (and Queen) of Spain--- also no credit taken there; after living in Spain for 24 years, I got to meet both of them on a visit they made to Dallas (!) years ago because the Casa de EspaƱa in Dallas got special invites to one of their cultural stops. Go figure, lol.

      Delete
    4. Ortizzle--YOU GOT TO MEET A PRESIDENT, TOO? AND IT WAS PRESIDENT KENNEDY?! Sigh. My envy only grows.

      And I thought I remembered you meeting the King of Spain at a convenience store...? I am likely mixing up some details from a discussion in Comments of a post from some time ago. But you have had a life of adventure, to be sure. Whether it was by choice or not is really unimportant.

      Delete
    5. LOL. The 'convenience store' was probably when I accidentally (literally) bumped into Paul McCartney in a small deli place in St. John's Wood in London. I was there on a 'business trip' back in the days when my publishing company sent me to London to do recordings for our EFL textbooks. The shocker is that, after accidentally bumping into him when I got up from looking at something on a low shelf, I apologized quickly and went to leave without recognizing him, but thinking to myself "He looks kinda like Paul McCartney... but older." When I got to the cashier, she said: "'Cor, blimey! Did you see that Paul McCartney is in the shop?!" So... "run into" is probably a better description that 'met', haha.

      Delete
    6. Ortizzle--OKAY, NOW I'VE JUST ABOUT LOST IT. PAUL MCCARTNEY.

      !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Can I find a Time Machine and go back and be your Best Friend Forever?

      Delete
    7. Even though we've never met 'in the flesh,' I feel that you are truly a BFF! Celebrity encounters are nothing compared to the wit, wisdom and camaraderie you have shared vis-a-vis your wonderful blog over the years. I keep praying for a foreign language teachers' convention to be held in Cleveland, and time is running out, but I do so hope that one day we can meet in person. Meantime, as always... XXOO

      Delete
    8. Ortizzle--Oh, you are so lovely. I feel the same, as you know. And I also feel that we will arrange a time to get together, either here or there, convention/conference or not. Our lakehouse has guest rooms, just saying! XXOO

      Delete
  7. One of the things we love best about our home is the two big white oaks in the back yard. Mike says that they're still teenagers, so I hope they'll be there for many many years to come (although we rent, so our presences feels a little less permanent). There are also a couple of pine trees that create the PERFECT place for a child to have a little special place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bug--Aren't oak trees incredible? They're so stately. And I know what you mean about pine trees creating little alcoves among their lower boughs. My brother has an enormous pine--worthy of Rockefeller Center for Christmas--and it has just such a place. I can imagine Childhood Nance with her blanket and books spending hours in there.

      Delete
  8. I love this post as I have a true affection fro trees. I feel like they are crying out when they are cut down. I don't even like them to be trimmed, it breaks my heart. I would rather look at a beautiful tree than the most gorgeous flower. I often talk to my trees when I am out with the boys for their poop duty, and I tell them before a big storm to stay strong. Your father taught you some wonderful things. Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meredith--I'm glad you talk to your trees. In their own way, trees talk to each other, according to German forester Peter Wohlleben, who wrote the book The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World. I haven't read it yet, but it is in my TBR stack.

      I'm glad you liked this post. The love of trees was one of many wonderful things my father taught me. Take care.

      Delete
  9. I'm so sorry about the tree.

    The electric company took down our big, old ash. While I KNOW it was for the best, I feel bad that a tree that was around prior to the Revolutionary War had to be taken down. It had emerald ash borers and was a risk to their power lines AND our house. :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee--Me, too. We've lost far too many. Silver maples are a frail tree, though they look strong.

      Your ash tree is a terrible loss. The emerald ash borer has decimated forests badly; here in Ohio the ash trees that remain are dead and forlorn.

      Delete
  10. I love trees and nature in general too, but I've learned some trees have incidious roots. Not saying that's the case here, but it's possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Silver--Oh, the roots of the elderly trees here cause awful problems. They caused my terrible falls because our sidewalks are all heaved irregularly due to the tree roots. We--and others--have had sewer problems because of tree roots. Foundations of homes here have been affected as well. And I'm continually irked by the black walnut tree behind us because its toxicity limits and dictates what we can plant in our back yard. Everything in Nature has an insidious or inherent danger, I think. We take the good with the bad.

      Delete
  11. I like trees, too. We live in a woodsy neighborhood so trees are everywhere I walk. I worry for them in the extreme heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter. I like your cat motif for this blog. That's new is it not? So clever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ally Bean--I like that some developments have wisely left mature trees in place rather than razed everything. It makes for a nicer neighborhood.

      I think about trees in the extreme weather times, too, especially when their bare branches are coated in heavy ice or snow. We lose a lot of old trees then, too, if they are shallow-rooted.

      The wine cat motif is new, but not recently so. I think I changed it before the pandemic, even. Glad you like it!

      Delete
  12. This is a lovely post. My dad passed away 1 year ago; such memories he left us of similar walks and talks. It's learning to appreciate things, I think. And who we share them with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elle Clancy--Thank you. I'm sorry for the recent loss of your father. I'm very glad you shared lovely walks and talks, the memories of which sustain and comfort you.

      I agree that sharing the Appreciation Of Nature is honoring that Legacy. All of my father's children have inherited that love of Nature, and we raised our children to respect and honor Nature as well.

      Appreciation is a key word. It's as critical as Gratitude.

      It's nice to see you here again. I hope you've been well.

      Delete
  13. This post just made my heart sing. There is nothing better than a lovely old towering tree.
    New neighbors next door to us...and the first thing they said to us was...you're probably going to hate us, but we're taking down all these trees. Hate is probably too strong a word, but sadly disappointed. They have planted a couple understory trees in their place, but the good old (granted messy) magnolia, a giant holly, and two mature dogwoods (couldn't understand that at all!) are all gone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steph--Oh, dear. Not a mature magnolia! And a giant holly tree is such a beauty to behold. Did you know there is a 50 foot holly tree at The Lincoln Cottage in Washington DC (aka The Soldiers' Home)? It's a beautiful specimen tree that is likely original to the property when it was first built.

      And dogwoods! They have such a quiet grace about them when they flower. Their terraced blooms are an elegant sign of warmer weather, a reward for making it through the winter. Your neighbors at least recognized the damage they were doing, although it defies our understanding.

      I'm glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading and commenting here. I'm glad you found me.

      Delete
    2. PS--Just renewed my acquaintance with The Lincoln Cottage via their website, and there is also a 30 foot Southern Magnolia there! Another coincidence and another pang of regret for your neighbors' decision.

      Delete
    3. And our little community has a dogwood trail every spring!! It never ceases to amaze me what people will do?!?

      Delete
    4. Oh, that makes me sad, especially the magnolia tree!

      I had a scare a few months ago when a neighborhood house with a beautiful magnolia tree was sold. Walked by soon after and saw workers in the tree with chain saws, but THANKFULLY they were only thinning it out, and it looks happier and healthier now. Whew!

      Delete
  14. We just had a line of storm go though here, but it did not give us enough rain to revive our poor, sad oak trees, gallantly putting forth new leaves as they are. Love this post, fellow tree person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary--Thank you, and I'm happy to know of your own affinity for trees. I'm thrilled that my commenters are, almost to the last one, also Tree Appreciators.

      Here in my part of NEO, we have had persistent high temperatures with many days reaching 90 and above. It's built up quite a heat dome, and storms break up over us or drop very little rain as they head up toward the lake and then hit the shoreline communities. Like your gallant oaks, our trees are using every bit of their stored energy to maintain their cycles. This is a terrible year for our trees.

      Delete
  15. What a lovely post...I also love trees. In California I love the big oak trees and the magnolia trees. In Oregon I love the woods and how green it is, closer to the East Coast. Reading this post reminds me of the time you came to SF and we went to the Botanical Gardens there, and how lovely it was. Right now I think it is the only museum that is open in SF.

    I’m sorry for the loss of that tree. I wonder what happened, if it was sick, or if they just want to be rid of it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. J@jj.com--I remember going to see the incredible Redwoods in SF. Walking among them was like being in a church. SF has so many wonderful places to stand in awe of Nature.

      I don't know why that immense tree had to be cut down. Silver maples, when they reach that age, often just rot away inside. Sometimes their roots are a problem with sewer lines. It might also be, sadly, that it was removed to make way for a fence, a pool, or a garage/shed.

      Delete
  16. Beautiful tree— can appreciate the sense of loss you feel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. joared--I just used a photo I found on an image search; the tree above is not the tree that was cut down. But the tree that was removed was a towering tree; it was admirable. Thanks for your kind words.

      Delete

Oh, thank you for joining the fray!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...