February 1: Old Man Tree

When Old Man Tree was trimmed last fall, I had the ivy which surrounds the tree girdled so that come Winter, I could pull it off the tree.  That’s a task I haven’t yet taken on, but it’s on the agenda for the month of February.

In the Winter, the season of rest and stillness, the tree is getting ready for the next growing season.

We’ve had some light snow and cold has returned for the start of February, but thus far the Winter has been bearable.  I know that in the seeming quiet of the season, the tree is laying in supplies for the growing season to come, soaking in the light of the slowly lengthening days, just as I do.

January 1: Old Man Tree

Since she moved into the neighborhood in late 2011, the neighbor in the house to my immediate west has complained to me about Old Man Tree, the splendid red oak tree that is the centerpiece of my back yard.  Her complaints have taken on an array of concerns, each growing more nutty.  She doesn’t like the leaves it drops in the fall; she’s convinced its responsible for the poison oak in our yards; she’s complained that it may lose branches and fall on her children while they are playing in their backyard; she’s worried that it will fall and land on her house while her children are sleeping.  I’ve repeatedly reassured her that the tree is no danger but all of that has been to no avail.  Crazy neighbor continues to request that I cut down the tree.  I’ve explained that’s not necessary and repeatedly said no.  In October 2016, with no warning to me, she reported my tree to the township inspector claiming that it was a dead tree and was therefore a danger.  

The inspector left a notice at my house requiring tree inspection.  I was furious with him and my unreasonable neighbor.  I was also afraid that the cranky town inspector would require removal of the tree, which I dearly love.  Within the week, an arborist arrived to inspect the tree.  He declared it sound.  The summer’s uneven water supply had stressed the tree and the result was some leafless branches and smaller leaves, as the tree conserved its energy.  But Old Man Tree is healthy and well, the arborist declared.  At over 90 years old, the double trunked gem is one of the oldest red oak trees in central New Jersey and likely to live many more years.

The arborist arranged for the tree to be trimmed; I had the major overhead branches cabled to provide additional strength.  The town inspector approved and I explained the plans to my crazy neighbor.  Overhead branches were thinned and the tree was made more secure.

Thankfully, Old Man Tree is here for 2017.  He is alive and well and stands guard over my house, an amazing display of Mother Nature’s strength and beauty.

Old Man Tree remains the anchor of my backyard and each day his noble and enduring strength make my heart sing.  

For 2017, I’ll celebrate Old Man Tree on the first of every month.  In his majesty and endurance I find hope in a year that badly needs it.

That’s happy!

Snowy Back Deck

We took a lot of photos of the snow, but none seems to illustrate the volume of snow that fell as well as this set of pictures of some of my favorite things on the back deck.

 I made these two pictures around 3 pm on Wednesday, just as round II of the storm was winding up.

 Two hours later, the pot was more snowbound.

 I snapped this final photo around 8 pm.  The snow fell for a few more inches after that.  The back deck was simply over-flowing with snow.

At some point this summer, when I'm sitting in these Adirondack chairs wearing flip flops and a t-shirt, I plan to pull out this collection of photos and raise a cold beer to the power and beauty of Mother Nature.

September 1: The Tree

For the past year, I've been taking a picture of the tree in my backyard on the 1st day of each month. I started the project on September 1, 2007 with the idea that I'd photograph and write about the tree for a year. By rights, the last photo should have been loaded up on August 1st, 2008. That would have made for 12 months of tree photos.

But I was in California on August 1st, so I took a picture of my Dad's lime tree and wrote about that instead.

Happily, this blog is mine and I can do whatever I damn well please, so I've decided to devote one more entry to my backyard tree. Though I only write about it once a month, I enjoy that tree every day that I live in this house. Lately, I've been sitting under it as the sun sets. As the darkness settles I turn on my outdoor lights and enjoy the evening. I've taken a picture of the tree and the outside lights to mark today, the 1st of September. As summer rapidly slips away, I feel the need to enjoy these warm days. Sitting under the tree at night lets me grab what's left of the long days, like extra nourishment for the short days and cold nights that will soon enough swallow me up.

July 1st

It's the 1st of the month, which means that it's time to think about my tree. In the summer, the back deck under the big tree is like an extra living room. I sit outside nearly every day. I'm outside in the morning if it's not too hot; in the evening I enjoy being under the shady branches of the tree.

This is my favorite place to sit:


And this photo is the view above that chair:


By July, the backyard becomes my personal green oasis, all of it under the benevolent watch of old man tree.

June 1st: Backyard Greenery

June 1 has arrived and brought my tree branches full of deep green leaves. There is a lush feel to my backyard this time of the year and old man tree is the quiet king of everything that surrounds him. He provides shade while I drink my morning cup of coffee, quietly oversees games of baseball in the yard behind him, and in the early evening when supper is grilled, he is there to frame the view from the back deck.

One of the joys of my home is the backyard and the tree makes it the perfect restful place that it is.

May 1st

On the 1st of each month, I've been taking a picture of the big tree in my backyard.

In the past month, as spring unfurled in the surrounding garden, the tree began to join in the celebration. At first, it had dark red buds. They have fallen all over the backyard and now the tree has small dark green leaves that will slowly grow bigger in the coming month. On this chilly morning, I could sit outside and drink my cup of coffee as the sun shone through the branches. But within the month those leaves will grow and shade the back deck and a good portion of the backyard. I'm looking forward to sitting outside under the shade of the tree. But on this cool morning, the sun was welcome.

April 1st

We had ourselves a warm April Fool's Day here in our corner of New Jersey. For most of the day, it was a bit damp (even humid) and then the sky cleared in the afternoon. JT and I hurried home to take advantage of the opportunity to be outside under the blue sky. After the boy conquered all of the bad guys in our yard, we went for a bike ride. During that ride we saw plenty of other kids riding bikes, playing basketball, and hitting some baseballs. It seemed like everyone was outside to turn a face up for the warmth.

And my backyard tree is also turning its branches up to the sun, just starting to bloom.

It seems that Spring has arrived.

March 1st: My Tree

I was up early on Saturday morning; in time to see the sun rise. When I'd gone to bed on Friday night, snow was falling and I had expected a silent cold morning. But at sunrise, as I stood in my living room looking out at the tree in my backyard with a cup of hot coffee in my hands, I could hear birds chirping. Overnight, the snow had begun to melt. My big tree is yet still but, like me, he can hear that spring is just around the corner.

January 1

It's the 1st of the month and so my backyard tree is back. We've had some windy days in the last month and my big tree has lost some branches......a normal development but one that finds me with a sizable pile of dead wood in my backyard (astute observers will note that a good number of leaves remain to be raked.....but that's a problem for another day). JT and I collected the branches the other day and we'll set the pile aside for a summer fire in the backyard firepit.

It's nice to look forward to summer on a cold day like this.

December 1

On the first of each month, I've been taking a picture of and recording my thoughts about the tree in my backyard. This month the tree looks bare.

Though we had a leisurely fall, one filled with many warm days, the cold has finally arrived to stay. In the last 10 days, my tree has lost all of its leaves, as have most of the trees in my corner of New Jersey. Suddenly, I can see all the bare branches against the twilight sky. Things feel cold and still.

Winter has arrived.

November 1st

On the first of each month, I'm taking pictures of and writing about the big tree in my backyard.

To judge from the grass, many of the tree's leaves have fallen.



But when you look up into the branches, you see a wholly different picture. A tree this old is slow to lose its leaves. Though some have turned gold and fallen, many green leaves remain. It looks like I will be raking for at least a few more weeks. But that's okay. I like the way that the tree slowly prepares for the coming winter, as if to remind me, "hey, what's the hurry?"

October 1st

On the 1st of each month, I'm taking a picture of and writing about the tree in my backyard.

Fall comes slowly to a tree this old; he's in no hurry to shed his leaves. The beginning of color is tinting the edges of the leaves. Because the tree is so tall I can best see the beginnings of the change when I turn on to my street half a block away from my house. When the autumn is complete the tree's leaves will have turned a dark gold.

This tree, with its slowly changing coat, is a reminder that slow and steady wins the race. It serves to remind me to take life as it comes, to avoid the chaos and anxiety creating by rushing or wishing for things that cannot be.