Trees sustain us with substance, sustenance and beauty. We need them and they need us, our appreciation, gratitude and admiration.
That's why I want to know about your favorite tree. This came to mind near Christmas when I learned 2011 was the "International Year of the Tree." The holidays arrived and time passed. Yet I was still curious as to folks favorite trees and thought, 'Every year should be the year of the trees.' Don't you agree?
So in honor of trees tell me about your favorite tree. What kind is it? Where is it? What draws you to it? It may be a tree you recall from an earlier time. Tell me why it comes to mind.
I was going to choose the winner next week. Then I read Wednesday Feb. 8 is Tu B'Shevat, the New Year for Trees in Jewish tradition.
So on Wed. February 8th (that's only 12 days away) the winner will be chosen by the folks down the street with the heart in their tree and will receive a beautiful cherry pen (value $60) by local artist Brenda Stein.Represented by LeQuire Gallery, Brenda creates art from felled trees, many of which are Tennessee hardwoods. Warner Park commissioned Stein for pieces made out of trees fallen on their grounds. She was commissioned to design and create the awards for the 2007 Governor's Awards in the Awards for the State of Tennessee by the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Brenda's work may be seen through Feb. 4th at LeQuire (4304 Charlotte Ave.) alongside the current exhibit figures in charcoal and terra cotta by Alan LeQuire and Juliette Aristides.
So please tell me about your favorite tree in the comment box below. If "Comments" proves frustrating, don't sweat. Email your comment to dawn@imaginetheshift.com and I'll post it below. Feel free to include a photo of your tree.
Now let's Imagine the Shift as the masses love trees !
-Dawn, The Good News Muse 27 january 2012
* I just learned yesterday that LeQuire will
present a collection of works by beloved art professor of decades and TN
sculptor (wood and clay) Olen Bryant. Mark your calendar for May 4th, the opening reception coinciding with Mr. Bryant's birthday.
7 comments:
The tree that immediately comes to mind is "Frank," a sugar maple that was planted in our back yard when my youngest child (now 24) was 3 years old. His preschool teacher had given each child a sugar maple with instructions on how to plant it. One of my favorite pictures, affixed to my refrigerator now and forever, is of my husband and two young sons (ages 5 and 3), shovel in hand and big smiles on their faces, ready to plant the infant tree. Scott, our then-3-year-old, named the tree "Frank," and I continue, to this very day, to refer to the tree by that name and with the pronoun "he."
I feel even more attached to Frank because we almost lost him with the horrible drought of the summer of 2007. I didn't realize just how much Frank was suffering until we were near the end of the summer. Never did I dream that one would have to water well-established trees, but water I did in a frantic attempt to save Frank. I had a tree expert, Glenn Christman, take a look at the tree. He told me that Frank was likely dying, but I wasn't ready to have him removed until there was absolutely no hope. I decided to have the arborists remove only the obviously dead branches (at the top) and leave whatever seemed potentially viable beneath. This process continued for several years as I remained hopeful that Frank would recover and start to thrive once again. Though he was progressively losing height due to limb excision, Frank would continue to sprout beautiful and abundant green leaves in spring which turned to a glorious shade of orange-red each autumn. He is now even trying to grow upward again and his stubborn desire to live has brought me great happiness. Long live Frank!
My favorite tree is a giant fir tree in the forest where I live. I call him "Teacher Tree" because when I stand with my back on his trunk, I can "hear" him speak to me. He is very wise, gentle, and sincere. I create a small altar of whatever crystals I have in my pockets on the ground in front of him. He is wise counsel, and a forever friend.
Michelle
from Mike via my email..My favorite tree is the Southern Magnolia. Probably the main reason is this was Ruth's (my late wife) favorite tree. There are two in my yard. One of them was a victim of an ice storm back in the early 90's. The main branch was broken under the weight of the ice and only a side branch remained. I moved the tree (it was very small at the time) to my back yard and tied a rope around the side branch and staked it so that it was now pulled up to an almost vertical position. As time went on and I adjusted the rope the side branch became the main branch and today the tree is probably 30 feet high and looks great.
The other tree is the one I replaced the damaged one with and it is a beautiful tree that always has multiple
fragrant white blossoms every year.
Ruth decorated our dining room with several portraits of Magnolia blossoms. Everytime I smell them I think of her.
I love trees - I hug them, I sometimes talk to them, I paint paintings of them, I honor them. I've even received healing comfort for a backache once by intentionally leaning against one for a few minutes. The tree I'm currently in love with is the large 100-year old Hackberry that looms over my art studio & my neighbors bedroom. The trunk is about 4 ft in diameter, with fabulous thick, deep textured bark. When I first moved here 8 years ago my neighbor & I spent an afternoon removing the vines that had been growing up the trunk about 30 feet high onto the branches. Everyone who visits me will park under my old friend, I love the cool shade she gives that part of my yard in our hot summers! I have a face of a nature spirit hanging on her beautiful trunk helping people remember that she is a living, breathing part of my home.
I learned last month from a couple of wise tree men, Glenn Christman & Michael Holt, that this tree is very ill and has to come down. :-( I am taking my time with this news and the sadness it's bringing to me. It reminds me of my all time FAVORITE book "The Giving Tree" that I read at my mother's memorial service. This tree is causing my heart to hurt: it's given me so much love & comfort, I'm having it cut down and it will not hold that against me. My tree will continue to nurture me until the day the tree crew comes & takes her away. I will be there, loving her and feeling my heart full of gratitude for all she's given me including 2-year old sapling 10 feet away. Her love keeps giving and giving.
I think of the tree in the front yard of my childhood home....a squirrel hole about 6 feet up from the base, always a source of intrique a well as an abundance of rich green moss piled over the determined roots at the base of this wonderous tree. As a young girl, I would curl up on the moss, lean into the tree, as if it were my mother's breast, and imagine the little fairies and other tiny mysterious creatures that must be there...coming out only at night or in the early morning when no one was there. I somehow wanted to reassure them that they were safe with me...to coax them out of hiding.That feeling of waiting and believing is it possible to witness such a delightful small miracle still exists within me......from Judi
from Allison Schott via email...I think the fir tree is awesome. It keeps its color year round no matter what temperature it is outside. It smells good and
feels kind of neat. It creates shade, privacy, scenery and warmth should you need to burn it. So diverse in what humans use it for. It's big and can be
seen from a good distance or used as a marker to see something in the field. It provides a hiding place for small animals and birds. It's darn resilient. The
only time it loses it's color is when it's sick and dying. Kind of like human life. It symbolizes lots that a healthy person would.
Hi Dawn, I'm on my way back from the BCC Conference and just seen your post. What first comes to mind is the great Cyprus tree that Joy pointed out to us in the swamp that was over 1000 years old. AMAZING! Wish you had been there with us. I was so blessed to be there this year, as I didn't get to the swamp on last year's trip.
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