I learned a new word today. Canopy. Yes, of course, I know what canopy means but our neighbor today mentioned the canopy of the trees. I am not in the habit of talking about the canopy of the trees but I like the sound of it. I will learn to refer to the heavily timbered area as “the canopy”. I’ll tell Craig to look for the morels under the heaviest canopy. I’ll send the grandbabies to the timber – to the canopy – to look for acorns and creatures. I'll hike beneath the heavy canopy of the oaks.

The Swimming Hole by Tim Cox 

tree rebuttal

Cedar trees are not designed for climbing, swinging from vines or tree houses. A few small cedar trees might be meant for Christmas trees, a few larger ones for bird havens or a means for displaying outdoor lights. We have a surplus of cedars here at III. I sat at the cabin today and looked around for my future vegetable garden spot. I can not find it, as every whipstitch there is a cedar tree.

My mother, memory crippled by dementia, mourns the demise of the farmers who kept the cedar trees out of their pastures. It must have been a point of pride learned at her father's knee and later practiced at the side of the young farmer she married. I point out to her on our country jaunts that that are fewer farmers now, that farmers often work in town in addition to farming, farmers have less time and less need for the pasture but still she fusses about the cedar trees taking over the pastures and I, seemingly, have absorbed the lesson . . .

Let us just tuck the cedars around the edge of the cabin clearing. Let us free the oaks and hickories of the cedars hanging on their shirt tails. Give them room to breath, to grow. We have more than enough hardwood trees for tree houses, swinging ropes and cowboys here on the 37 acres of Shagbark III. I look forward to 10 year old boys and 12 year old girls that will tomorrow be running through this timber, playing hide and seek and learning the love of trees, timber and childhood freedoms from their PaPa.

Memory Overload

Any undue, incorrect user names and passwords were not intential but merely a matter of too many user names, too many passwords . . . and I welcome your entries.

. . . the other side

LJ's View(finally)

After many unsuccessful tries, i finally gained access to this site. I don't think the other side wanted my views published, so she kept giving me incorrect user names. After relentless pressure I was finally given the correct info.

As for trees, since childhood I have lived among the trees. They became hiding places from the always bloodthirsty Indians that we're always trying to take my scalp. They were places of refuge when trying to get away from nosey brothers. They provided tree house locations. They were places from where ropes could be hung from branches to play Tarzan. They provided green apples to eat whenever the desire would strike.

As I grew older, 11 to 13, the timber would become my second home(maybe my first). Any time I and my buddies got the chance, off we would go. We would walk for miles, with no water or food of any kind, and tear through the timber. The challanges were many. How to cross the river, why to cross the river, where to cross the river, and what to do if we did cross the river. And if we did cross the river, how would we get back.

In the winter, we would head for the timber to see how far we could walk on the ice before someone fell through. No one ever did, but it was a challange. We would build a huge fire to stay warm. Once the fire was going, we would all scatter for the timber to look for firewood to keep the fire going so we could get warm before we went back into the timber to look for more firewood. This cycle would go on for hours.

So, this should give you an idea of why I like all trees(exception: Locust) including Cedar trees. They are beautiful, especially in the winter time with snow on their limbs. I shall now make an executive decision, that only I can make, on the fate of the Cedar trees. NO Cedar tree will be cut down, no matter what size or shape, unless it is replaced with a Pine tree.
Stay tuned for the fireworks.