My former co-worker Mike (not to be confused with fellow curmudgeon Mike the blogger) sent me this interesting quote the other day. He said it was from Irregular Webcomic, but I couldn't find the exact post:
"Next time you're standing next to a large tree, think about the fact that the brown wrinkly cylinder next to you is pumping vast amounts of water from the ground, up to the tips of every single branch and twig and leaf, right to the very top of its height. And is doing so in utter silence, with no moving parts, non-stop, every day of the year, for what might be several hundred years, while standing exposed to everything the elements can throw at it, without breaking down or requiring maintenance of any sort."
I think that's a really profound observation, and one that we don't often think about. I don't think I can add much commentary to it, other than to ask: don't you wish Mother Nature made cars? Or PCs? Or a functioning Metro system?
Joyce Kilmer famously observed,
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
To which Ogden Nash added,
I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all.
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all.
Trees. Hug one today. If the developers have their way, you'll eventually have to go to museums to see them.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Aww...I really like this post. I'll have to bring Carter out to hug a tree today, teach him young!
ReplyDeleteNow this is going to be running through my head all day:
ReplyDeleteThey take all the trees,
put 'em in a tree museum,
and they charge the people
a dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you. There are much worse songs to be stuck in my head....
Gotfam - Absolutely! You have to teach them when they're young so they appreciate it when they're older.
ReplyDeleteGilahi - hey, welcome back! I thought about using that Joni Mitchell song...As songs to stick in your head go, it beats anything by Metallica or any cacophonous rap group...
...I just completed the planting of eight trees on my property, and I like to hug each one of them...
ReplyDeleteThe other day a tree saved my mommy from a lone lightening bolt. I kid you not. So I'll hug lots of trees to thank them for taking one on the chin for my mum.
ReplyDelete"like"
ReplyDeleteGreat post topic. I've long thought that trees are one of the highest forms of life on the planet. I read a great quote recently but don't know it's origin: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today."
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 1400 posts. I haven't been reading you for that long, but will well into the future!