I love trees

I do, I really do. I know that's pretty cliche...because yes, I am a "treehugger" or an environmentalist rather. I think more and more people are considering them to be ones actually (YEA for the Earth!).


But back to trees - they have such beauty to them, no? They provide us with shade, cool our homes and cities (thus naturally conserving energy), are habitats to birds, squirrels, and other creatures, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air, clean the air, provide food to both animals and humans, provide wood (hopefully selectively and sustainably harvested with other options gone to first), provide places for kids to play, and they mark the seasons so gorgeously! Here are some other reasons why trees are an amazing creation!


Sometimes I like to think about trees being "alive" - I know they're alive, but "alive" as in Lord of the Rings "alive" when the trees fight back against the evils of the land. I like that...:), but really, that's kind of the way we should think of them and treat them as such because they do such incredible things for our planet and thus deserve respect and stewardship. The Arbor Day Foundation is a wonderful organization with such an incredible mission - a membership would be such a great Christmas gift wouldn't it?! It is really important to plant the correct type of tree for your particular area though, so you don't plant an invasive tree that kills all the natives (hello cedar trees here in Texas!...poor poor beautiful majestic native oaks!).


There is this small park about a two minute walk from my house - it's really just a public greenspace with trees, a couple benches and water fountains, but it's pretty, and Lovebug and I have been going over there every day for short bouts of time recently. We love getting fresh air and seeing all the green that will soon be replaced with fall colors. Lately I've been drawn to studying the bark of the trees and looking at the differences. It's quite fascinating as they all vary so so much - each with a different texture, shape, and thickness. It's their "skin" protecting them from the elements, as ours does, which I find so intriguing. Next time you're around a good amount of trees, maybe check out their bark and see what you think.


This is my favorite tree there. It curves pretty severely and then all of its branches fan down to the ground as well as over far to the other side. It's beautiful. I brought one of the leaves home to ask my Love what kind of tree it was (because he knows stuff like that:) and he's pretty sure it's a river birch. So pretty.


Oh by the way, the dinner for him went well - thank you for the well wishes. I made this Kale & Apple pasta dish (w/o the cheese) from CuisineNie's blog (you've probably heard of what happened to her and her husband - so sad) and it was super easy and very nutritious with all the calcium from the kale and whatnot...I would however definitely add more kale next time and some Italian herbs or other spices, as it was lacking a bit in that area.


Well anyway, YEA it's Friday, which means it's baking and bathroom cleaning day (amongst other things) so I better hop to it. Let's see, some things on the weekend's agenda: some birthday present sewing, hemming (never attempted this before - wish me luck), and lots of quality time with my two Loves! Have a wonderful wonderful weekend my friends! OH, and check out that bark...and OH, maybe think about planting a tree! :)