Tuesday, August 02, 2005
HAVE YOU SEEN MY ASH LATELY?
This summer has been one of the hottest in recent memory, we have had almost 30 days over 90 degrees. But is that snow you are seeing in my yard? It sure looks like it. Of course, it being this hot, there has to be another culprit for the carpet of white around the garage.
Apparently, we have planted a mountain ash. Now, I'm sure we did this somewhere along the line thinking we were going to get something else. A money tree perhaps. It probably came from the Arbor Day foundation or some such place. Trees don't, after all, sneak into your yard in the middle of the night, plant themselves and then sit there whistling the next morning while you walk around trying to figure out how it got there.
Now a google search pulls up site after site extolling the beauty of this particular shrub or tree. This isn't a shrub and it seems that we have been "blessed" with a tree that has grown to the maximum height for it's species. It is quite pretty except those little white flowers are everywhere! In the cars, in the house, in the dog's hair, in my hair and, no kidding, I opened my wallet the other day and there were some in there. I think the tree is trying to steal my money and go out for a night on the town for a little pollination or photosynthesis or whatever trees do for kicks.
I have also been informed by a local plant expert to expect the tree to be beautiful in the fall when it will produce orange and blue berries. The websites say that these are a particular favorite of birds. Now, I think all of you reading this are familiar with the "circle of life" and, after the birds eat the pretty little berries you can pretty much imagine how "colorful" the end product of their efforts will be. My new white house should be a perfect background for this orange and blue impressionist work. We do love our Illini and the Bears but this is taking things a little too far.
Now the tree has been in our yard for several years and has never put on such a performance such as it is doing now. I suppose it has reached puberty and the hormones are raging. Next thing you know, the tree will be drinking, listening to heavy metal, breaking curfew and wanting to borrow the car. I'll have to have the sex talk with my 30 foot child. Do you think Dr Spock wrote a book about this? Somehow, I think not.
So come by and see my beautiful tree. We can sit on the deck and pretend it is January and talk about our plants when they were sweet, innocent and not nearly so annoying. And if you see a bird overhead this fall, don't look up just shout GO ILLINI and try to your best not to be an easy target.
Apparently, we have planted a mountain ash. Now, I'm sure we did this somewhere along the line thinking we were going to get something else. A money tree perhaps. It probably came from the Arbor Day foundation or some such place. Trees don't, after all, sneak into your yard in the middle of the night, plant themselves and then sit there whistling the next morning while you walk around trying to figure out how it got there.
Now a google search pulls up site after site extolling the beauty of this particular shrub or tree. This isn't a shrub and it seems that we have been "blessed" with a tree that has grown to the maximum height for it's species. It is quite pretty except those little white flowers are everywhere! In the cars, in the house, in the dog's hair, in my hair and, no kidding, I opened my wallet the other day and there were some in there. I think the tree is trying to steal my money and go out for a night on the town for a little pollination or photosynthesis or whatever trees do for kicks.
I have also been informed by a local plant expert to expect the tree to be beautiful in the fall when it will produce orange and blue berries. The websites say that these are a particular favorite of birds. Now, I think all of you reading this are familiar with the "circle of life" and, after the birds eat the pretty little berries you can pretty much imagine how "colorful" the end product of their efforts will be. My new white house should be a perfect background for this orange and blue impressionist work. We do love our Illini and the Bears but this is taking things a little too far.
Now the tree has been in our yard for several years and has never put on such a performance such as it is doing now. I suppose it has reached puberty and the hormones are raging. Next thing you know, the tree will be drinking, listening to heavy metal, breaking curfew and wanting to borrow the car. I'll have to have the sex talk with my 30 foot child. Do you think Dr Spock wrote a book about this? Somehow, I think not.
So come by and see my beautiful tree. We can sit on the deck and pretend it is January and talk about our plants when they were sweet, innocent and not nearly so annoying. And if you see a bird overhead this fall, don't look up just shout GO ILLINI and try to your best not to be an easy target.
