“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” (Chinese Proverb) When we moved into our house there were no trees on the property, and now there are many. One was planted on Arbor Day over 20 years ago and has grown into a climbing tree for children and g-children. “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as (that) tree.” There’s also a pine-tree, transplanted from northern Wisconsin. Do you have a memory-tree? ;-) Jack
FROM PM: Love this one! I wish I had known of it when I was a teacher!! Have a great weekend! Thank you for your continued emails.====JACK: I recall learning about Arbor Day is school, but I can't remember when. Teachers do have an influence, 'tho we don't always remember their names. Do you especially remember some of your students?
FROM RI IN BOSTON: During 52 years of married life we moved nine times. Our first home was an apartment so I didn't plant a tree there, but the other eight houses we bought, and I planted one or more trees at each one. It has always been a pleasure to return to those home sites and see the grown trees standing tall. Where we live now we have a neighbor couple who are caring and generous. On the man's 50th birthday we wanted to give a gift, but couldn't decide on what to give. Then it struck me...we would give a commemoration tree. I chose a weeping cherry tree and planted it for them. Now it's more than 20 feet tall, and this week it began to bloom again. Its location is perfectly in view for both them and us, and we are enjoying it in all its flowering glory.====JACK: A mate to our "climbing tree" began as a two-stem "twig" on the church building site. Mary brought it home and planted it in our yard. After a while you suggested transplanting it and removing one of the little trunks. Apprehensively, she agreed. Years later we were so happy to see it mature into a second climbing tree. Thank you!====RI: You're welcome! It was my pleasure to serve you with a few little favors in exchange for all you gave to us. I remember going over once and pruning your crabapple tree. Has that survived? Nature is remarkable the way it can overcome disruption and live on.====JACK: "That" tree has moved on the crabapple heaven, only to be replaced by another/ BTW, there used to be a TV cartoon character named, Crabby Appleton.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: Good one, Jackl!!!====JACK: Have you seen the "off-shoot" of Anne Frank's horse-chestnut tree planted at the Holocaust Center in F.H.?====PAUL: No... and a good friend of mine has a brother who is a guide there. Soon on my agenda.. thanks for the heads up. ====JACK: It's on my (BIKTB) list, too.
FROM WALMART REV: That one that money doesn't grow on .====JACK: Matshona Dhliwayo said: "Money doesn't grow on trees, but it grows on intelligent minds." You've heard of Mat, haven't you?====REV: Sorry to say I have not ... Impressed though with the number of writers you quote from ... I spent too much time at the bowling alleys instead of becoming better informed in these impressive areas understanding and knowledge.====JACK: But I never rolled a 300, or a 200...but a few 100s.
FROM DR I IN OHIO: I love this one! I’d like to think someday people make might remember me as a person like the Lorax, I too speak for the trees! ====JACK: Lorax -- sort of like an amanuensis for trees, huh?====J: I had to look up the word amanuensis… I learned something new!====JACK: Sometimes a preacher can turn into a teacher. ==== DR J: :-) indeed! I’ve learned a lot from you over the years… not ALL good ... such as how to play practical jokes on people... but mostly all good!====JACK: Good is relative! I hope you've learned that life can be fun.
FROM HONEST JOHN: My daughter loves our large maple in front because she used to limb up there and sit and read====JACK: What a beautiful word-picture!
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I just got 10 flowering trees from the Arbor Foundation. Last year we got 10 hard wood trees. We put them in large containers for two years and then transplant them. Our favorite tree in located on I-75 by West Branch, MI. It was my mom’s favorite tree... a huge ancient “Christmas” tree as we used to say. She would mention it every time we passed it for years and years and years. Now she’s gone, and we still remember her favorite tree! ====JACK: Eventually we had to take some of ours down. Thay were taking over the yard and impacting the house. ====JUDY: There are lots of trees on our property but there’s room for more. We have a large brick patio in the back. It was damaged when a huge branch of a willow tree broke off in a storm and landed on it. The willow also hit the roof but there was no damage. It happened before we got here. We had to have the willow cut down because it was rotted in the middle and would have fell in a strong storm. We hate to take trees down but like you say, sometimes they can wreak havoc!
FROM MF: Not sure if was one of your ww's in days past, but today reminds me of a favourite about this subject. "It's a noble man who plants a tree to give shade to someone he may never know" I think fondly of the many trees I have planted, now some at my current house are diseased and have to come down, they will be replaced.====JACK: Trees can be like people...sometimes.====MF: I looked it up, was from Dr. Elton Trueblood,will do more research about him. ====JACK: He's a famous theologian...worth reading more about...and he speaks to "the common" people, too.
FROM LBP: oh my.. so many "trees" that need planting and tending.====JACK: Just like children..
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Many many trees! Les loved trees! I have taken down or a freeze has taken down 15 trees and I still have 14. We did have a few orange trees, a Chinese lemon, a tangerine, and several grapefruits. We used to share with friends. Our house was built in a woods where people used to come to shoot wild boar before the developer came! We had lots of swings and lots of tree climbers!====JACK: I'd love to have a grapefruit tree in my yard...if the climate were right. Do====SHIRL: Yes the elms were beautiful before the were all cut down. That happened before Mother and Dad moved to Tampa because the state took their home for the bridge over the Mississippi. That was a blessing in disguise for us! remember the beautiful and stately elm trees in Moline? That nasty Dutch Elm disease....====JACK: It was a blessing, too, for those who wanted a quick way to pass through the Quad-Cities.
FROM MY LAWYER: Yes. After I got Gino’s a liquor license in 1976-1977, Ezio Santia, Gino’s Dad, came to my home and we planted a cutting of his Italian fig tree. We used to have to uproot it every fall and bury it, then replant it in the spring to keep it alive. After it grew to about 10’ with a 6-8” trunk, it became too big to maintain in this climate. Long gone, but not forgotten.====JACK: What a great gift to present to someone.
FROM FM IN WISCONSIN: Jack, an ornamental tree we planted in 1976 – in just a few years it began to develop small berries, which attracted cedar wax wings birds every fall – in a couple of hours they would strip all the berries from the tree - - - and the birds would be tripping all over – drunk from the berries. By night fall they had recovered and taken off. Jewel and I would look forward to their visit every year. Memories are wonderful! ====JACK: Birds getting drunk at the pastor's house! Oh my!. A UCC pastor friend of mine moved to become pastor of a church in Wisconsin. It was Good Friday noon and people were filing into church for services. Just then a beer truck pulled into the parsonage driveway next door, and the driver began unloading cases of beer. It seems that the brewery would give free beer to the pastor of that church for Easter each year and thought that the new pastor would appreciate the gift as did the others.
No comments:
Post a Comment