Trees are like us

The White Oak

I have a tall oak tree that just suddenly appears to have died. Two months ago the leaves were green and now they are brown. It has the appearance of having suffered a massive disease that quietly and quickly caused all the roots to stop functioning and feeding the tree limbs. It is located within ten feet of the curb in the front corner of my lot, plainly visible to all who drive down the street. 

This has created a most interesting situation that I did not anticipate. It seems that every tree service company in Greensboro has rung my doorbell over the past three weeks. Some do custom tree care, some are tree experts, some are tree trimmers, and all do tree service including tree removal and stump grinding. The eight different bids to remove the tree have been disparate, ranging up to $350 apart. When I tell the high bidders that they are way too high, they immediately give me a much lower price that is in line with the others. I ask each of them what they think in regard to the tree dying so suddenly. Several have suggested that lightning has struck it and some have shown me where they think it bolted out of the trunk.

 I called the City Urban Forester because I wanted to know what was wrong with the tree, and I really wanted to know if removing it fell under the city’s purview or mine. Surprisingly he said that it was not lightning but he couldn’t be sure of what has caused it. He explained that there are many white oaks suffering from the extreme heat that we have experienced this year. He also suggested that I might yet be able to save it by watering it and excavating the soil to allow better ventilation to the roots closest to the surface. Not surprisingly, he advised that it was clearly my issue to resolve. The tree is fifty feet tall and I don’t want to cut it down if it can be resuscitated. 

Cheryl and I discussed how very similar trees are to humans. They grow up big and strong and fight off all sorts of diseases for 50-60 years and then all of a sudden, they are stricken by an unknown blight that literally sucks the life out of it in two months. No symptoms, no warnings, no clues - just drys up and dies in front of your eyes. We have physicians to diagnose our illnesses and I suppose we could find some very expensive tree doctor who could tell us what happened and how to prevent it in the future. In the meantime, like with humans, we hope and pray for the recovery of this gentle giant that has shaded us and enhanced our yard for the past 21 years.

Yesterday Cheryl pointed out to me that two or three limbs now have green leaves on them, so I guess the tree service ambulance chasers will keep ringing my doorbell and I will keep collecting their cards.

Spring is Just Around the Corner!

   Last week it was over 70 degrees and many trees and plants were starting to bud. It's March and Spring is almost here, winter is nearly gone. But not yet. Yesterday evening we were hit with plunging temperatures and the first ice storm that I have seen in years. It sleeted all night and most of today, mixed with freezing rain and snow. The ice accumulated and began weighing down the trees in our area. As the trees fall, they take down aerial power lines and cause transformers to explode. In Guilford County alone, there were over 130,000 homes without power. We were fortunate and did not lose our power but we talked with several friends and family who did. The storm continued until the temperature again rose above the freezing mark and the ice began to melt this afternoon.
   We used it as one last opportunity to open up the Cherylina Snow Critter Café. In her wisdom, Cheryl covered the table and ringed it with chairs to protect it from the ice and sleet. Everything worked well until the icy limbs began to crack and break and fall onto the deck. We sat in the house and listened as we heard loud snaps and pops coming from all sides of the house. We heard a shudder and then a crash as a large tree in our neighbors yard came crashing down. Then loud crackling and a loud impact on the deck as a large limb fell across the table on the deck. In a few minutes, another followed. I stepped outside to examine the damage and was nearly hit by three more limbs snapping and falling onto the deck steps. By this time the temperature was rising above freezing, but the accumulation had already taken it's toll.
   The final stroke occurred as I was watching out an upstairs window and saw a large pine in my yard just slowly topple onto the fence as it uprooted out of the ground. It was like slow motion, but it made a thud as it propped itself on it's upper limbs and rested on the fence. A few hours later, I trimmed the limbs off my neighbor's driveway and picked up as many limbs as I could in the yard. It is a real mess, but it will soon be melted away. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 60 and Sunday is forecasted for 65 degrees. I suspect that the trees and shrubs that survive will start to bud again. After all, Spring is just around the corner!

 

The Cherylina Snow Critter Cafe

 

Clients at the Café or waiting for a table

 

 

 

 This is what made the limbs and trees start to break and topple.

 

This is the limb on the table above the Café.

 

The results of the icing today.

 

 

 The birds seemed to appreciate the limbs on the table.

 They used it for a resting place before going into the diner.

 

The coup-d'e-tat

 

 What a mess! Can't wait for tomorrow.

 

 

The "Cherylina Critter Cafe"

 The month of February usually brings our best chance of snow in the Carolinas. The pattern is always the same. Massive storms develop along the Gulf coast and push their way through the Southern states up to the Mid-Atlantic coast and eventually into New England. Nothing new this time, except it carried a huge reservoir of moister that dumped enormous amounts of ice and snow along the way. Thirty-six hours of weather will empty out a lot of sleet, freezing rain and snow on an area. Our portion was twelve hours of snow, followed by six hours of sleet, followed by six hours of freezing rain, a brief reprieve and then seven more hours of snow. It ended with a blinding flurry that was comprised of two hours of heavy, wet snowflakes. We only had six inches, but neighboring counties had up to seventeen inches!

   Very few cars meandered down my street, the roads were icy and slushy all day. Most of my neighbors, like me, stayed home and off the streets. It was a good plan, but we had work to do. When the inclement weather arrives, we open up the Cherylina Critter Cafe on our back deck.
   All who are hardy enough to venture there will be rewarded with a few morsels to help them through the storm. I told Cheryl that God always provides for the animals, but she says that he counts on us to help out. I suppose that is true because they certainly know how to find our deck during a storm. I get aggravated when the squirrels gang up on the others, but they are hungry too. We have a smorgasbord menu that features only the finest in birdseed with a large variety of tiny seeds for the smaller birds and sunflower seeds for the larger birds and squirrels.
   This storm dropped six inches of snow and sleet, so the little critters were coming throughout the daylight hours. They disappear just before dusk, I'm sure they are retreating back to their nest for the night. It is entertaining and somewhat satisfying because we know that they would not eat otherwise. We refill the trays as soon as they are emptied and the mob returns shortly after we vacate the scene. We enjoy watching them fight over the food.
   As we dig out of this winter wonderland, we hope that you have a warm and caring Valentine's Day and if you ever get caught out in a winter storm, drop by the Cherylina Critter Cafe. (We serve coffee and hot chocolate to our friends)

                                                        A beautiful snow at the end

 The Cherylina Critter Cafe

Huge flakes at the end of the storm

  Blinding flurries

 Really quite beautiful

Some of the visitors to the Cafe

Bluejays like this plate

                          Striking blue colors

                     Bluejays  and Doves share this tray

He thinks he owns it

He's a young one who didn't put away enough acorns

"Lonesome Dove"

My little chickadee

The "Red Baron"

Junco waiting on his turn

One of many squirrels jockeying for position

                      Waiting their turn

 Checking out the menu on the table

 "Oh, its under the table"

Oh Yeah! 

Might be next years Christmas Card?

Is Valentine's Day Overrated?

 

 

I’ve always thought that Valentine’s Day was overrated. I mean really, do you have to have a special day to say that you love your sweetheart? I don’t think so. My sweetheart and I have been married almost twenty years now and we tell each other every day that we love each other; most of the time, we say the words, but we demonstrate it too. She brings a fresh hot steaming cup of coffee to wherever I’m sitting every morning; she brushes her cheek against mine, and smiles at me with that look that I know she gives to no one else. I make up the bed because I’m the last to get out of it, I bag up the trash without being asked, I help her carry her things to the door when she leaves from home, and we give each other a huge hug before we’re out of the door. She’s my girlfriend, my best friend and the best thing that ever happened to me, so why do we need one day each year to make a big fuss over our love. We tell each other “I love you” every day, and if I didn’t say it yet today, “I love you Sweetie”.

   I suppose it’s the candy makers, the valentine card manufacturers, and the floral industry that perpetuate the necessity for everyone to single out this day to convey our love and affection. I’m sure they sell enormous amounts of all three for this special day. Actually, Cheryl and I have agreed that none of them are necessary; in fact, she encourages me to buy candy on the day after Valentines when it is at half-price and she always discourages me from spending money on flowers. In any case, she is not that fond of candy and knows that I am buying it for myself instead of her anyway. We usually do exchange cards, but if we didn’t, we wouldn’t care. Our love isn’t measured by candy and cards, or flowers on a single day, it’s calculated by the way we behave toward each other every day of our lives. We aren’t perfect, but we really try to make each other feel loved and appreciated.
   I should say that Valentines day might mean more than you think to some other members of your family. When my oldest daughter, Mendy, was a little girl, I gave her and her Mom a box of chocolates. Hers was a miniature of the big box and it had a big pink bow across the top. I actually bought the candy before Valentines Day and delivered it on time with a special card. As a Dad, I just wanted to let her know that I loved her too. She recently informed me that the box of candy meant more to her than I ever knew; it made her feel special and important in a way that only a little girl could understand about her Dad.
   Occasionally, some inadvertant event takes place that none of us are prepared for. Several years ago, while I was recovering from open-heart surgery, it snowed just before Valentines Day. It was brutally cold and promised to be a miserable Valentine’s Day. Cheryl had made a heart-shaped cake to take to work and share with her friends. Her hands were full as she started for the garage door, so I grabbed the cake and hustled it out to the car in front of her. As she followed, she closed the door behind her to keep the house warm for me. My surgery had been around Halloween and I was recovering nicely, but I was still weak. I kissed her goodbye and waved as she drove out the drive and headed down the street. I could see my breath fogging as I closed the garage door and turned to get back in the warm house.
   It was locked! And I was locked out of the house! Somehow, with her hands full and in a hurry to leave, she had still managed to follow her habit of locking the door behind her. Now, consider that I was standing in my flannel pajamas with nothing on but a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of furry house shoes to keep me warm. And it was cold. No cell phone, no phone in the garage and no extra keys hidden in the garage to get me back in. It was early morning and I had not shaved, brushed my teeth or even combed my hair before I stepped out the door. My options were few; Cheryl would not arrive at work for 15-20 minutes and I really didn’t know the neighbors that well, and it was too cold to just stay in the garage for a long period of time. I tucked my pajama pants legs into my house shoes to cover my bare feet, found an old pair of cotton gloves in the garage and headed out the door. My office was only six blocks away and it would, at least, be warm there. I trudged through the snow and slush and thought to myself “Happy Valentines Sweetheart, I hope you are enjoying your cake.” After a few minutes, I slipped into my office and asked a friend to drive me out to Cheryl’s workplace, so I could get keys for my house. She thoroughly examined me, stifled an urge to burst out laughing and agreed to help me. She dropped me off at the front door of Cheryl's office building and I shuffled inside.
   I managed to slip through the main lobby and gain access into the elevator alone. When I stepped onto the third floor lobby I stood pathetically, as the vagrant I was. They have probably never seen a sorrier-looking character call at the front desk of her office. The receptionist gauged me carefully, noting my unusual garb, and cautiously inquired what I might possibly need from their company. Her hand seemed poised over a secret alarm button to summon the armed guards. As I explained that I was Cheryl’s husband, I could envision her brain telling her, “Sure Buster, and I’m the Queen of England”; but she finally agreed to call for my bride. She warily spoke into the phone, ”Cheryl, your husband is here to see you” as she cut her narrowed eyes toward me.
   Cheryl came right out, not knowing what to expect, but thinking that I was bringing her a Valentine surprise. One look at me and she knew exactly what had happened. We laughed as I told her the details; the receptionist at last removed her hand from the button and breathed a sigh of relief. My Valentine gave me the car keys and the house keys and I was finally able to drive home and get back into our warm and cozy home.
   If I had been waiting for Valentines Day so my true love could affirm her love; I would have been in a world of hurt. I knew she loved me; that she didn’t intend to lock me out of the house, or cause me to have to walk six blocks in the snow. She didn’t plan my discomfort, in fact, she assuaged my distress as soon as she arrived home from work, by making me some of her world famous hot chocolate. I still buy half-price candy the day after Valentines Day, and we usually exchange a card on Valentines Day. And don’t forget that you may need to include your children, so they can feel special too. But Cheryl and I show our love to each other every day, and that’s the way it should be. After almost twenty years, my betrothed still brings me that steaming hot cup of coffee every morning, and I can’t remember a day that she doesn’t look over at me and say, ”Have I told you today that I love you?” I think she means it. I know I do.

 

Snow Day

   Yesterday was one of those unusual days in North Carolina; it snowed. Not a "big" snow, but a little one in Greensboro, maybe larger for most of the other counties. Schools closed, work opened two hours late, and some businesses just closed down shop. It's 24 degrees and dropping to 9 degrees overnight. Normal temperatures are 58 and 28. The sun is shining today and the streets are melting, but they will ice over during the night. Tomorrow will be worse driving conditions. It's a rare occasion when it snows but we tend to enjoy it more than we dread it.
   It seems that most birds don't migrate from North Carolina because it normally doesn't get this cold. In times like these, my wife Cheryl and I try to feed the critters to help them through the cold spell.
It will be 56 degrees on Saturday and all will be back to normal. Until then, we'll keep on putting feed out and hope that it makes a difference. We're hoping for the warmest February on record to follow up this very cold January.

About an inch an a half of snow

 

Little bird checks out the menu at the Cherylina Café

 

Discovers lots of choices

 

Doves run everybody else away

 

 House Finch waits his turn

 

Freezing wren waits his turn

 Junco picks up the overspill