{"id":49,"date":"2011-11-20T12:39:38","date_gmt":"2011-11-20T12:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sandralangston.com\/?p=49"},"modified":"2011-11-20T12:39:38","modified_gmt":"2011-11-20T12:39:38","slug":"a-sylvan-saga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sandralangston.com\/?p=49","title":{"rendered":"A sylvan saga"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have planted scores and scores of trees on our land. \u00a0When we bought the place, the first thing we did was to even up the periphery of scrub brush with a bulldozer, leaving a pristine and intimidating plateau of soil. \u00a0It was a \u00a0blank slate on which to write about my favorite subject. \u00a0Trees!<\/p>\n

First we built a safe house for our tools, a\u00a0tufo<\/em>\u00a0block potting shed. \u00a0It was our first attempt at a dry-stacked structure. \u00a0Mortar cannot be used to build without a permit, so dry sand is used to level out the heavy bricks, and there are many of these structures dotting the countryside. \u00a0Even after fifty years or more, many are still standing solidly. \u00a0 Now we could begin the first really big improvement : \u00a0 delineating the perimeter of the land with Arizona cypress. \u00a0 \u00a0 We dug the holes taking turns with the hoe, a total of about 900 of these the first year. \u00a0 \u00a0As we had no irrigation water during the winter months, \u00a0I had to haul water in plastic drums from the nearest public fountain to keep the tiny trees alive as the weather heated up. \u00a0They are now, after twenty-five years, enormous and confident.<\/p>\n

After these came others. \u00a0Orange and tangerine, loquat, plum, peach, cherry, persimmon, \u00a0filbert, some new olives to round out their numbers, and deciduous decorative trees as well as pines, eucalyptus and firs. \u00a0I lost count somewhere along the way, and even so I am always on the lookout for a place where I can insert a new tree without causing the place to become claustrophobic. \u00a0I love trees, and it shows, as the light inside our house fades and is blocked by foliage. Winter is our brightest season.<\/p>\n

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painting: \u00a0 “Treeline” \u00a0oil on canvas, 2010<\/p>\n

My younger son \u00a0has always been intrigued with weapons, cutting tools either home-made, bought, or imaginary. \u00a0 These were used \u00a0to lunge and feint, \u00a0attacking \u00a0leafy foe and liberally carving up chips of bark. \u00a0 He\u00a0was impervious to my pleas to have mercy on the trees, and sword-slashes and nicks made by various blades would regularly appear at waist-level on their trunks. \u00a0Accumulations of buds and leaves might be seen in less-visible areas of the yard, \u00a0small ninja harvests. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The trees around the house have cuts dating from when he was as little as three, and the scars have deepened and become permanent features of the trunks of the living things which continue to bear them with grim and silent tolerance. \u00a0The bark swells and gathers itself in a hug around the wounds, and preserves the moment for future contemplation. \u00a0 \u00a0Thick and pouting, \u00a0abrupt to the touch, they \u00a0are the essential statement \u00a0of \u00a0“little boy,” written in braille.<\/p>\n

Our house is now equipped with a wood-burning fireplace for heat. \u00a0We gave up using natural gas because it was so expensive, and now the house is rigged with what they call a “camino-caldaia<\/em>” which pumps fireplace-heated water to all the radiators. \u00a0It is a job keeping it stoked, but it works wonderfully. \u00a0Our trees are providing a wealth of wood for the pile, as they lose limbs and have to be pruned. \u00a0It is my hope that I can replace the wood burned with new growth, and somehow be accountable for the smoke we produce by providing a forest of filtering leaves.<\/p>\n

Trees are truly a renewable resource, as long as there is enough water to get them through their formative years. \u00a0 It is incredible that a tree, when stressed, will shed its leaves not only to transpire less moisture, but to create a carpet to shade its own roots and conserve water. \u00a0 The leaves provide an enormous surface area that traps humidity and drips it into the roots below. \u00a0 Their roots will form a solid mat during the summer, and many times I have to hack flower pots free in the \u00a0Autumn because roots have discovered them and anchored them to the ground. \u00a0The story of our septic tank and roots is a chronicle of war, with many battles won and lost.<\/p>\n

Each accidental lawnmower nick \u00a0to a root will create a new tree. \u00a0They are eternally hopeful. \u00a0 There can never be too many trees, and the noisy concert \u00a0outside my window indicates that the birds agree.<\/p>\n

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painting: \u00a0“New Owner” \u00a0 pastel on \u00a0paper, 2010<\/p>\n

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