On those occasions when I actually get in the car and go somewhere, I pass this tree which makes me wonder what's up. It looks like a real tree that's been painted completely white, but I'm at a loss as to how that was done and what that means. Any guesses?
On one of the streets we visit from time to time had a surprise for us. This tree, clearly just waiting for the perfect moment to fall, is on City property. You'd think the City would hasten to get a crew out to cut it down so as not to cause injury or worse, and then have to deal with a very expensive aftermath. The family that lived in the house nearby just happened to be out and were willing to share what has been done so far. A crew did come out to cut a couple of branches off and then put caution tape from the tree to the limbs at the curb. No cones to indicate drivers might want to get in the far lane. No signs to alert people. And no remedy as in actually taking down the tree. Shaking my head!
Walking down a street Nellie and I visit almost every day, I suddenly caught something out of the corner of my eye and it startled me. I felt like someone was staring at us and, yes, I was right. But this time it was no dog on the loose, or a cheeky squirrel, or a parrot prepared to throws seeds from above. This time, it was the actual face of a tree. I've always felt that trees are very aware and far more sentient than humans want to believe. Now, there's proof.
If we have a big wind storm, naturally we stalk the property looking for fallen tree limbs and other damage, but it is utterly unexpected when there has been perfectly reasonable weather and no warning signs of impending doom. Imagine our surprise when walking into our backyard to find a huge tree limb had cracked off a perfectly healthy Carob. Fortunately, in fell inside the fence, and not onto the sidewalk where it could've severely injured someone. All I can think is that the tree wasn't happy with my very aggressive weeding efforts the day before and decided to show it's wrath. No wait -- that doesn't make sense. Why would the tree do damage to itself? Oh well, just another mess.
Our City is serious about our trees, sort of. Our neighborhood in particular has some very fine old growth trees. On my street we have Deodars well over 100 years old. There are native Oaks on some streets that are far older than that. When those trees were planted, many of the roads were dirt and there were no paved sidewalks. Trees thrived in spite of drought and Santa Ana winds. With the proliferation of cars came the infrastructure improvements for their benefit. Unfortunately, that has left some of the trees struggling. The parkways on some streets are so narrow, they barely contain the trunks of trees now trying to survive. This poor tree is surrounded with concrete: the street, the driveway, and the sidewalk. Now the people who live there are trying to help out by putting large rocks around the trunk, presumably to keep water in. Alas, this particular effect is actually bad for the tree. It does keep moisture in, but not deeply in the soil. It holds moisture right on the tree trunk and roots, allowing for rot and insect activity. In other words, it is slowly killing the tree, not helping it. It's basically a form of volcano mulching, which is taking chips or mulch and surrounding the trunk like a volcano. Trees actually need open space to about the mid-point or edge of their canopy.
Add to that, some homeowners don't want to be bothered with weeding or mowing, and have boxed in trees with cement blocks, allowing for no water to get to the roots. Actually, this is not exactly sanctioned by the City, but too often goes unnoticed. The sad thing is, it took years for this tree to finally die of thirst and is designated to be cut down. I shake my head in sadness each time Nellie and I walk by.
It's been raining for two days which has been a blessing in our drought-stricken area. In between storms, however, Nellie and I still brave the deep puddles and go on our walks. Today was special. Being Christmas Day meant little to no traffic in the neighborhood and a quiet calm soothed the spirit as we ambled around streets we've not been on in a while. Though I'm a Bah Humbug! type, I do enjoy seeing the sparkling lights and interesting decorations people come up with for the season. But what catches my eye? Why a spectacular long-leaf pine tree and a Maine Coon cat.
The tree canopy is just a perfect shape and is so majestic, I couldn't resist a snap of it.
And now for the little, well actually quite large, cat named Fluffy. Fluffy is a neighbor and he's one of only two cats who have ever approached me, especially while walking a dog. Fluffy not only approaches, he will willingly come when called, and then he headbutts me for pets. Of course, I do have a reputation for awesome ear and butt rubs in our walking area (four-leggeds only), so I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. He is so cuddly he practically jumps in your arms to snuggle. Since having a cat companion at home is not possible, I confess I rather look forward to our meet and greet time. And of course, he is gorgeous.
