Thursday, January 21, 2010

Tree Hugger

I'm not a tree hugger.
But I do hug trees.
I love them.
I could ramble on and on about all the benefits from trees...
but you already know all of those things.


Why do I get so attached to trees?


Its the strangest thing.
My parents say it started when I was little.


I begged my dad to plant apple trees...
which he did, because he is a gardner and lover of trees and plants.
I also got a cherry tree.  She was a beauty. 
Unfortunately, she had a date with a lightning bolt.




My two apple trees.
This fall I'll share with you all of the wonderful items we bake!



Monkey with his Grandpa.
Standing in front of the tree that was planted when he was born.
We take a picture every year...
Can't wait to see how big Monkey and the tree are this summer!

I have two trees on my property that I am seriously attached too.
One, is an evergreen that sits outside of our large dining room window.
Two cardinals live in the tree all year round.
When Monkey was a baby, we sat his bassinet in front of the window...
I am telling you-- the cardinals would sit in the tree and look in on him.
Really.

The second tree I'm attached to lives in our backyard. 
She is huge.
And a great beauty.
I find comfort and peace when I look at her.
She provides shade for our whole yard...
...but she doesn't shade the garden.
How does she know that I don't want shade in the garden?
I have been watching this tree for the past 9 years...
...she has doubled in size....reaching way into the sky.
She is a home for bats (don't be afraid), several birds, and several squirrel families.
I need to stop going on about her...
I will take pictures of these two trees when the weather is nicer...
...and properly introduce you to the two ladies.



See how she doesn't shade the garden?


I've said good-bye to my fair share of trees, and I am always upset about having to do so.
We lost a tree on our property a year and a half ago when a little tornado ripped down our street.
All houses were spared.  Only trees were lost.  Isn't that amazing?
I was thankful for the houses being spared, but of course, sad about the trees.

My parents lost a tree yesterday in the ice storm. 
A beautiful tree in their front yard. 
A tree that was planted 13 years ago to replace another tree that didn't survive a storm.
(yes, we have real weather in Iowa) 


Their tree split right down the middle and them peeled off in 4 parts.
Monkey found out, and he cried. 
He was bound and determined that he, Daddy and his Grandpa could save it.
He got the glue and tape and his hammer out. 


Sweet boy.
I was so pleased...
... not that he was upset.  (Don't send me any hate mail)
But that he felt a deep connection with a tree and nature.

~Amy

PS - It is a day about trees.  On the children's tv show, "Big, Big World"  they discussed the importance of trees.
And the beautiful and hilarious, Annie at The House That Jade Built, discussed her new found love of trees today.  Go check it out!

Also, one of my dearest friends, Shannon, (since we were babies) is saving trees in Charlotte, NC.  If you're in the area, check this out. 
Wonder if our love of trees is from all the hours we spent climbing trees when we were little???

22 comments:

  1. I love this post since I'm the tree lover & a super thanks for the shout out! I'm hoping to plant some fruit trees in the near future too! I can't wait to get our Beech tree this spring & our Magnolia. Jade can't wait for our Swamp White Oak to get big - it is his favorite tree! I so love that monkey has a deep love of trees already! My kids do too!! Aubrie LOVES to help plant trees! The next thing I really really want Jade to build me is a secret adult tree house in our woods! When I get one you can come have tea with me. I don't drink coffee, but if you do, I'll make that too :)

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  2. I hear ya! Our house is new construction, so when we moved in 5 years ago, we had nothing in the yard except sod. We have been doing all of our own landscaping, and now have 9 trees! They are small, but are growing. We have a redbud right outside our TV room window - love watching that thing bloom in the spring..

    Danielle

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  3. It's devastating to lose a tree. We lost a huge old oak in front of our house one year and I couldn't believe how bare that space was and how I could look up and see the sky instead of that beautiful green canopy. There was no getting it back...one day there, the next day gone. I couldn't even bear planting something in it's place. I wonder why we have such emotional ties to trees?

    xoxo
    Janie

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  4. Never apologize for being concerned about the environment and interested in its stewardship. Anyone who cares about the future, that is, especially anyone who has a child, must be. It is absolutely vital to consider the planet and its ecology. Our external environment is our internal environment.

    That is why so many of the people I know have died of cancer. We are on a dangerous path. We are going the wrong way.

    Anyone who prioritizes plastic crap and money in the bank ahead of clean air, clean water, and a peaceful world is a worthless idiot.

    Don't apologize.

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  5. Have you read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein? Your monkey would love it when he's a bit older. And if you love trees, go to Youtube and look up "Heart of the Wood Joey & Rory." They have a video of them singing it. It is a beautiful song about trees, it will make you cry! Here is a link, not sure how to do this in the comments or if it will work, though.

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  6. Obviously the link didn't work, LOL! ;)

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  7. so true!!! i really didn't know how much i would love being around green & trees until we moved to tennessee. (born & raised in so. california) of course we had trees in ca. but not like here. now, i get to see trees in all their splendor. spring, summer, & fall. (i don't like bare winter trees, though.)

    i hear ya loud & clear with the cute shoes. yes, i got to wear my flip flops the other day. it was a treat. but we have been in cold cold temps for so long. now it is pouring down rain. back to the wellies - we go!
    have a great weekend.
    kellie

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  8. Love trees, and the bigger the better!

    Although my current property doesn't have anything massive like, my backyard backs onto a city owned park with a mountain backdrop. And right in my view is the most exquisite massive willow tree EVER. In my mind, I own that beauty. :)

    Donna

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  9. Great post Amy. I can't wait to see pics of your beauties this spring. And then later the apples! We are having freezing rain now too. It is sad when beloved trees are lost. Your Monkey is sooo cute. Have a lovely weekend.

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  10. Awwww, your Monkey sounds like a wonderful little simian! :-)

    I have so many trees on our 4 acres, but a good portion of them are dead. Victims of oak wilt, the cedar kills everything, makes me sad. And I'm not a tree hugger either, but I "get" what you're saying.

    Good post. :-)

    Anne

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  11. What a great post. I can't wait to see your trees later this spring. We have a lot of trees as well in our large yard. My absolute favorite is the weeping cherry in our front yard. Right around Easter every year it blooms and it's just gorgeous!

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  12. Amy, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Looks as if trees were in lots of posts yesterday. I'm sorry that there's been an ice storm in Iowa...so beautiful and so very treacherous for trees, of course. We had a devastating ice storm in 1998 that forever changed the look of the tree canopy in my corner. I don't even like to think about it as trees continue to be lost as a result of that storm all those years ago. You made me laugh with that comment about a deadly date. Poor little cherry tree, I hope that it was a whirlwind romance.

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  13. Looks like your apple trees did very very well. It would be great to be able to go out and pick your own apples.

    I enjoyed your post so much Amy, I can't wait to see all the baking you will be doing. Hope you have some great recipes to share. Terry

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  14. We love trees, too! Our house is only three years old, and when we moved in, had only 1 little tree in the front yard. So far we have planted a Sycamore out back, a couple apple trees, a pear tree, a plum tree, and a Mulberry tree. I can't wait until they start to produce delicious fruit! This year, we are planning on planting another Sycamore, in the front yard, and three flowering cherry trees along the side walk. So far, no on else in our neighborhood has planted any large trees out front. Maybe we'll start a trend!! :)
    Hope you have a great weekend! Beth.

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  15. I so wish we had a big back yard so I could plant a forest of trees :) I do have a orange and lemon tree that I love, my boys always get sad when we come home from my brothers house who lives on a 1/2 acre, they wish we had "space".
    Thanks so much for commenting on my front door, such an easy upgrade. I'm really enjoying reading your blog. Have a great weekend!
    Kristin

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  16. Hi Amy!

    Oh, can I drive down to Iowa and come to your mommy coffee someday?? Sounds heavenly...

    Oh, and I am so with you on wanting to wear cute shoes again...it is seriously my main pet peeve about living in Minnesota...love my Uggs but they are getting t.i.r.e.d. Oh, and I have the cutest new shoes my friend Kasey (Lola B's) found for me at TJ Maxx and sent that I am dying to wear!!!

    Thanks for all your kind comments! Have a fabulous weekend my dear!
    Cheers!
    Jill

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  17. You need to come talk to the people in this country about the benefits of trees. I posted some time back about 4 large trees in the yard below us being chopped down by a guy climbing the trees with a hatchet and bare feet, chopping from top to bottom until they were history. I was so upset! The Ministry makes people tear up grass and flowers and trees when they say there are encroachment issues, but they don't make people clean up all the debris and litter and piles of rubble that they line up and down the streets. It's disgusting. They actually pay government people to come and rip up beautiful bushes and trees, but they don't pay anyone to come take away the piles of trash. There are days when I really have to seek beauty rather than dwelling on all the crap. If you can't already tell, this is one of my biggest pet peeves (the other is the fact that there is no drivers education and 90% of people in this country shouldn't be behind the wheel or on the road ... period). Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing your tree love. :) Blessings, Tammy

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  18. Ahhh you have a apple tree….LUCKY! Our back yard is so bare. We could really use a couple trees. When I doing dishes our kitchen window looks directly into our neighbors window. I bet they think I’m staring at them every time I look out that window. We’ve been talking about planting a couple trees to fancy our backyard up a bit and to give me something else to look at when I look out the window. My fiancée is a tree lover too. He’s been researching since we moved into our home (5 years ago) to pick out just the right tree for our back yard…..he’s silly! Anyhoo I think we will probably plant one pretty soon.
    Happy weekend to ya! Oh and I saw that your won something this week. Congrats!
    Kendra

    http://domesticprincessintraining.blogspot.com

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  19. Gotta say that it is the massive Pecan and Oak trees that make our farm very special!

    Enjoyed my visit to your blog!

    Julie
    www.ridingaside.blogspot.com

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  20. I love this post, I too am a tree lover AND a tree hugger!! :) What a cutie pie picture of your baby boy with his Grandpa in front of his tree. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!
    Loved your visit this morning too!! You are such a sweet breath of fresh air, and always always make me smile when you visit. (You know, I thought about running off with the band, BUT....I'm afraid someone would find me eventually) LOL!!! I hope you are having a beautiful Saturday and enjoy your weekend girlie girl!!
    Hugs ♥ Teresa

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  21. We have some nice big trees in our yard and I love them. Trees are so much more important that most people realize. Cute pictures!

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  22. So sweet that he wanted to put the trees back together!

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