TREE TRIMMING

Gregg took all of these photos. He was very interested in the process. His first photo will give you an idea how high our fir tree has grown. Look for the young man standing on a branch. Our fir tree was about 10 foot high when we moved in, and then its root system hit the water table and it was Jack in the Beanstalk time. For the last 30 years plus, we have watched it grow and grow and grow. That young man, all of them, are very fit! They also have a good head for heights, and we are very grateful to them.

This all came about when a young man knocked on the door early this afternoon. Gregg talked to him for a while, and later a small group of young men, who have been very busy in our neighborhood, turned up with the equipment. All very hard working, very professional. They did a great job and cleaned every scrap up at the end. We talked to them last year when they were looking for work, but it was lower down on our priority list back then as it was manageable. Gregg and our son did some of the trimming in the lower branches. We bought a trimmer on a pole for the thinner ones.

Our trees will need to be taken down eventually, especially this fir tree that is reaching up to the sky. This is the one that showered us with a thousand pinecones in the winter. I love that tree, I love all our trees, but we are concerned that this one's roots are going to get into the foundation of the house and that would be dreadful. They are already growing out of the soil and along the ground. On reflection it was planted too close to the house, but when we moved in it was quite small.

Years ago (30+) before we moved in, one of our backyard trees fell onto our house. This information came from one of our neighbors when I mentioned how big the trees were getting, voicing some concern. One in particular was a favorite. Its branches used to overlap half our deck. It gave the feeling of being in a forest and the birds loved those lower branches. They always paid us back by putting on quite a show. I would sit underneath and watch them hop from branch to branch, squirrels too.

Sadly, the tree was dying and for safety reasons, not only for us but for our neighbors, we had it cut down. I still miss that tree and the refuge it gave to the birds! The tree that fell on the house was a dead one also. You can see the post I did about it at this link.

Today these young men are trimming the branches away from the house, and several others were only inches away. We had a small one resting on our bathroom window, and the other in the front, its branches were getting too close to our bedroom window. They took care of the fir tree first, getting rid of a lot of the lower branches. Then we have a crepe myrtle just behind the house. A job well done but, the writing is on the wall, and next year, maybe sooner I don't know, we will have to get them taken down.

Good news for these young men, our neighbors came home when they were cleaning up. They need a couple of trees taken down in their back yard, and gave them the job after Gregg recommended them. They could see the great job. 

As for those dogwood trees we wanted to plant in their place, we had to put those plans aside as we also had to have the deck replaced, again for safety reasons. Priorities! It's still a plan. You'll read about what we were planning in the link above that takes you to my other post about that first tree take-down.

Perhaps you have seen my dream cottages on my odds and bods posts? If I had my way, we would live in the middle of a forest, but that would be another story. Never going to happen but it's fun to conjure up the whimsical side of my personality at times.

I guess you can call me a tree hugger. This quote says it all.

"Alone with myself

The trees bend to caress me

The shade hugs my heart."

~Candy Polgar~

Thanks for looking and 

I wish you all a continued good week.

            

RED BUDS AND A POEM

 

Look, the trees

are turning their own bodies 

into pillars

of light, 

are giving off the rich 

fragrance of cinnamon

and fulfillment,

the long tapers 

of cattails

are bursting and floating away over

the blue shoulders

of the ponds,

and every pond,

no matter what its

name is, is

nameless now.

Every year 

everything

I have ever learned

in my lifetime

leads back to this: the fires

and the black river of loss

whose other side

is salvation, 

whose meaning 

none of us will ever know.

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

~Mary Oliver~

(9-10-35 - 1-17-19)

One of my all-time favorite poets. This photo was taken at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, Virginia in May 2009. Probably not the same time of the year that the poem is describing but this is also a favorite photo I wanted to reshare. 

Our weather over the last few days showing the highs is below.

Tuesday, May 19th - 99°F / 37°C

Wednesday, May 20th - 81°F / 27°C

Thursday, May 21st - 73°F / 23°C

Friday, May 22nd - 57°F / 14°C

Saturday, May 23rd - 55°F / 13°C

Sunday, May 24th - 69°F / 21°C

As of 5-24-26 it has been raining for the last two days, with more to follow, so no walkies for us until the sun shines again. It won't keep us inside though. I am sure we will find something to do.  

What has the weather been like in your area?

IF WHAT I SAY RESONATES WITH YOU…

“If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree.” 

~W. B. Yeats~

I TREATED MYSELF TO A NEW POETRY BOOK.

Its author is the man who wrote the quote I shared in my Blue Jay post here.  The book is called Nature’s Bounty by Justin Farley, who has become my favorite at this point in time. I loved the poem I am sharing with you today.

“Children of the Forest”

~Justin Farley~

I leave you my love of the forest

and the winding creek.

I gift you with believing you are poorest 

when the sun’s warmth is absent from your cheek.

I impart to you the language of nature

and the secret harmony of her song;

I leave with you an overture 

So you’ll know her arms is where you belong.

I grant you the skill of listening 

with ears in tune with the earth.

I bless you with the excitement of discovering 

The depth and extent of her worth.

My blood flows within you;

I see my spark with your eyes.

We are children of the forest through and through,

and our spirits soar when the eagles rise.

I hope you have enjoyed this poem. This is one that will stay with me for a very long time. I thought it was beautiful.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

FOR ME, THERE IS A LOT OF TRUTH IN THESE WORDS

"Going to the woods is going home."

~John Muir~

ONE LAST POST FOR A WHILE BEFORE TAKING A BLOG BREAK.

We went over to our place where we can view the planes coming in, which didn’t work out quite the way we planned. More on that later as I thought I would share a shortened version of what we did last week.

Top left on the way home! The clouds were outstanding. I am a cloud watcher, the beauty of them drew me in. The same with the airplane snap in the middle on the right. One of my neighbors is top right. These are the people who go all out for their seasonal decorations and they are very impressive. There is already a Tom Turkey on display for Thanksgiving. They add things the closer we get. The yellow flowers were blooming in profusion at Green Spring Gardens. I didn’t even get out of the parking lot this time but was happy with the few flowers taken. More on those later also.  Below the yellow flowers is where Ann’s card will spend Thanksgiving.  It’s right above me on the shelf  where I do all my blogging, and will stay there until it’s time to store it in the box of Ann’s cards where it will join all the others she has sent me. Favorite coffee with the pretty design ordered when we went to what is now our favorite bakery and coffee place, Chateau de Chantilly. We join the young ‘uns there. We were the oldest in the place until a lady the same age walked by and acknowledged us with a smile. The connectivity of our age brought us together I told my dear other half and yes, I am joking. Above the coffee I share a tree with changing leaves in one of the parking lots while running errands. I think that’s it as I continue on to when we saw those magnificent flying machines.

There is a road and a pull-off we have parked many times with others, to watch the planes in line with the runway as they fly low over us to land. It was fun to see but this time there was a policeman. At first, we thought it was just one side of the road that we couldn't park. We saw the police car on the median and as there were no other cars nearer to where he was parked, we made a u-turn at the next available turn, so that we could join the line of a few cars already parked. 

I managed to get a few snaps before the police officer got out of the car. I had my head turned in the other direction watching the planes in the distance approaching, but Gregg could see him making motions that we should move on, his words lost in the noise of the aircraft. His body language was very polite but we got the gist. We couldn't park there either. Everyone has been doing this for a long time, and we have never had a problem before. We will check again, maybe this is temporary. There were no 'no-parking' signs that we could see, maybe one tiddly little one near a locked airport gate used by maintenance people, and no one ever parked near there. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. I have a feeling new security precautions are being put into place. I remember a while ago someone had been flying a drone near the airport and that gives one the shivers.  

At Reagan National Airport just across the river from Washington DC., there is a parking lot right next to the airport where people see them even lower than this place as the airplanes land. You can actually see the pilots sitting in the cockpit. We will go check that sometime and take a car picnic. There are usually a couple of hundred cars or more, with people making it their entertainment, and they've been doing that for years, ever since as far back as I can remember. However, that may no longer be, but we’ll drive down there and check sometime. 

We were here on Saturday the 8th, and those skies were amazing! We were hoping to stay for sunset pictures...

but that wouldn't be today.

So glad we could get these before we were moved on. It was almost like the officer was waiting for us to get our photographs done before he gave us the word. Probably not but it was a nice thought and we were grateful! There were a few more cars in front of us, and we all left at the same time.

We treated ourselves to a small ice cream sundae at the Milwaukee Custard shop on the way home. No photos of those though! From airplanes to ice cream to trees. We admired the trimming skills of the person who cut this tree while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. It was much taller than the building and perfectly shaped. The photographer, however, was a little tilted.

And so one day we swept all the leaves, pine needles and pinecones up, and that night we had the windiest weather. Not any pine needles this time but plenty of pinecones and crepe myrtle leaves. We looked over the deck to the garden below and oh my! Mother Nature sure is having some fun with us. There will be more sweeping up tomorrow. I have been collecting the pinecones and putting them in old boxes. Thinking of offering some to the neighbors for outside decoration. I also thought I would fill several with birdseed and hang them from the trees. I don’t ever remember seeing this many pinecones before. These photos were after I had picked up a couple of dozen or so. There are plenty of pine trees in Virginia of course, but in our immediate vicinity we seem to have the only pine tree. It was planted before we move in about 35 years ago and quite small. It stayed that way for many years until its roots reached the water table. Now it’s huge and reaching up to the sky. 

 Thanks for looking. I am not sure how long a blog break I will be taking this time, but I will be catching up with you all when I can. In the meantime take good care of yourselves and happy blogging.

 

MY WISH FOR YOU - POSTED BEFORE BUT WORTH REPOSTING

 

"May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand.  

May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.  

Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone.  

May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace.  

May a kind word, a reassuring touch and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them.  

Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.  

Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world.  

May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them.  

Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.  It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.  

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart.  

Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you.  

Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future.  

May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.  

Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.  

May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgement of your accomplishments.  

May you always feel loved."

~ Sandra Sturtz Hauss~

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - FROM OUR LAST VISIT T0 WALNEY VISITOR CENTER

You can enlarge all the photos for better detail and an easier read.

I have always enjoyed an old Black Walnut Tree that is situated not too far away from the old house (now the visitor center). It stands about 100 feet tall. I had to be careful where I walked on the grass and finally chose to go back to the pathway. The seed pods lay everywhere, and they were approximately 2 inches in diameter, many hidden by long grass - bumps and ankle twisters. I also wouldn't like to be under that tree when one fell. Like we wouldn't stand under a tree during a thunderstorm, we shouldn't be standing under trees when we see dozens of seed pods lying on the ground. It made sense to move out of their way. Below you can see Gregg's photo as he holds one. They seem quite dense and heavy.

I think someone had placed the following in a row. Children would be automatically drawn to them, adults too if we are anything to go by.

They will decompose eventually, turn black and leave behind a hard-shelled nut that is edible after processing. If you know enough to do that, you will be rewarded with a nut that is considered a superfood. It has a high protein and healthy fat content, rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. A great source of polyunsaturated fats, omedga-3s, fiber and manganese, and are linked to benefits like improved heart health. So, there you go, if you know what you are doing, it would be fun to plant a walnut tree, whether it be black walnut or the regular kind. The regular walnut offer overall more antioxidants. Best to read all this yourself, plenty info online, or even ask your doctor or a nutritionist if you would like more info. Interesting website here that shares its health benefits. Maybe you grow them yourselves and can offer some experience. 

These trees can last between 200 and up to 250 years old. The productive life for walnut trees producing nuts in orchards is typically much shorter, around 30 to 50 years.

There are 21 species of walnut trees in the world. They are found across the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe and Asia to North and South America. The English walnut is one of the most commercially important species, known for its edible nuts, and another important species is the black walnut as mentioned in my blog post. Black walnut is also prized for its lumber.

 I also read that all species of deciduous trees 

can grow quite tall, that they have leaves made up of 

multiple leaflets, and are also monoecious, meaning 

they produce both male and female flowers on the 

same tree. 

The plant in the photo above called Wingstem. It is 

native to North America. As I have gone on long 

enough about the walnut tree, I figured I would just 

leave the link for you to read if you would like to 

know more.

And that's where I end this post.

I HAVE FOUND…

such joy!

I have found such joy in simple things;

A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,

A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,

The shelter of a roof above my head,

And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,

Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.

I have found such joy in things that fill

My quiet days: a curtain’s blowing grace,

A potted plant upon my window sill,

A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;

A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,

And books I long have loved beside me there.

Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might

Tell every woman who goes seeking far

For some elusive, feverish delight,

That very close to home the great joys are:

The elemental things - old as the race,

Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~Grace Noll Crowell~

(10/31/1877 - 3/31/1969)

“I Have Found Such Joy”

(These are a few joys that I have found close to home, along with a lot of those mentioned in Grace’s lovely poem.)

ART IN NATURE

I have often looked at various things I photograph and thought that nature has always shown us its own form of glorious art. Nature's brushstrokes are something to behold.

Thanks for looking everyone and I hope you are having a great start to the week.

(I used a collage app on my iPad for the above)

WALNEY POND - LAST POST UNTIL THE NEXT VISIT

I am always drawn to the water lilies. There is a large carpet of them on the pond and you can see those photos here if you missed them.

I found this graphic online.

More facts can be found here at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC. We were here once and are way overdue for a visit. It's a marvelous place!

The next photo is called the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). There is a lot of information here. It is one of the tallest and most beautiful eastern hardwoods, with a long, straight trunk, a narrow crown that spreads with age, and large showy flowers resembling tulips or lilies. It is a tall straight, deciduous tree that grows to 150 feet tall (sometimes taller), has a medium to narrow crown and distinctive, star-shaped foliage. The yellow-orange, tulip-like flowers are often missed because they are up to 50 ft. or higher in the tops of trees. Their cone-shaped seedheads remain after leaves have fallen.

The trees are native to eastern North America. Specifically their natural range extended from southern Ontario and possibly southern Quebec, south toe Florida and Louisiana, and west to Illinois and Michigan. They are a common sight in the eastern United States, thriving in various habitats like woodlands, protected by hillsides and wooded valleys.

Introduced into Europe from Virginia by the earliest colonists and grown also on the Pacific Coast. Very tall trees with massive trunks existed in the primeval forests but were cut for the valuable soft wood. Pioneers hollowed out a single log to make a long, lightweight canoe. One of the chief commercial hardwoods, Yellow Poplar is used for furniture, as well as for crates, toys, musical instruments, and pulpwood.

I was too late to see it blooming on this particular visit, but I went on a hunt through my old blog and found the following two photos taken in 2009.

I got the settings wrong on this photo as it was a bit washed out to look at. I tried to darken it a little but need an expert. I need to find the book! It's a Pickerel Weed and I go into more detail at this post if you scroll down.

Shared before but wanted to include this pretty pink Swamp Rose. This link will give more info where I go into more detail.

I first shared the photo (taken at Walney) and the quote here, but felt it worthy of doing so again

We have been coming to Walney Pond for many years, and if you want to see those posts you can click here. Much too many to see in one sitting but you may enjoy one or two.

Thanks so much for visiting, and a thank you to all those who comment. I hope everyone has a great day!