Time to say goodbye to an ash tree
I adore trees. No ands, ifs or buts. I absolutely
love them. In the midst of them is one of two places I feel most comfortable
and most at home. The other place is in a canoe or a boat somewhere on "big
water" .... Lake Superior is one such setting.
So, it really pained me to have a tree cut down,
which is what is happening in the two photographs taken last week. The ash tree
was diseased and would have to be taken down at some point. The point arrived,
in my mind, a few weeks ago, so I made the necessary arrangements. The cutting crew
blocked off the street and dropped it there, then cut it up and hauled it away.
Such is the fate of life ....
There are two songs here this time. One is the Taliesin Orchestra rendition of, "The Memory of Trees," by Enya. It sort of goes along with the photographs. The second, "I Will Always Love You," sung by John Nommensen Duchac, also known as John Doe, is here because it came up in a recent conversation.
For those of you who watch films with a critical eye, often a few times, you may have become aware that a man is singing this song during the "saloon" dance scene with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in the film, "The Bodyguard." It took me almost forever to track down the singer, and it turned out he is one who has been around for just about that long -- but, his usual music is not on my listening list.
For three or four reasons, his is my favorite version of the piece .... mostly my favorite, I suppose, because John Doe sings it with a Western twang and because the cowboy embedded deeply within me is drawn to it ....
There are two songs here this time. One is the Taliesin Orchestra rendition of, "The Memory of Trees," by Enya. It sort of goes along with the photographs. The second, "I Will Always Love You," sung by John Nommensen Duchac, also known as John Doe, is here because it came up in a recent conversation.
For those of you who watch films with a critical eye, often a few times, you may have become aware that a man is singing this song during the "saloon" dance scene with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in the film, "The Bodyguard." It took me almost forever to track down the singer, and it turned out he is one who has been around for just about that long -- but, his usual music is not on my listening list.
For three or four reasons, his is my favorite version of the piece .... mostly my favorite, I suppose, because John Doe sings it with a Western twang and because the cowboy embedded deeply within me is drawn to it ....
8 comments:
Sad about the tree Fram.Trees are such alive.Think of all it has seen.All the living things been nesting in it.Feeding on it.Now.It will make its last remains as firewood for someone sitting in a chair reading a book and enjoying the warmth.
Nice to see you blogging again.
And btw I love the romantic movie The Body guard.Also the music.Its very lovely.
Here in Bergen we are drowning in rain again.So its books and movies.Iam reading Johan Falkenberget.Eli Sjursdatter.From the war between Sweden and Norway .Old days.Two people(young woman and man).Escapes to the high mountains.What theyexperience with no fire or food during looong cold winther sleeping on the cold stones.the wolves owling outside ..Wow..keeps me awake all night.Yes it ends very sad.But life is so many times.Wish you all good my friend-May you day be good and happy
Anita
Fram,
It's sad about this tree. It's tall and probably gave a lot of shade. It's sad that trees sometimes end their lives so abruptly. For me the trees are like very strong people. They withstand so many things in their life and... then they die. This ash tree was your joy and you wrote very touching memory of it.
Several years ago I planted on the hill a few trees and then four yeas ago we had a fire which burned most of our trees, only Big Tooth maple survived and a birch tree. I was so devastated. Every morning I looked at the black ashy hill with tears. I still miss my trees.
I understand how you feel about your favorite tree but sometimes you have to do things you would never planned to do.
I never listened to the Enya's song " The memory of tree". I am listening it right now. Yes, it's true that once you connected with trees you can never turn them off, you can feel them.
I hope you had a relaxing and peaceful Labor Day, Fram.
I know exactly what you mean, Anita. I think it has been a while since any birds nested in this tree, but a generation or two of squirrels called it home while I have lived here and before the leaves became so thin each summer that they were easy prey for other creatures.
By the way, I think I only will be posting two or three times a month until I figure out what to do with myself ....
Yes, I enjoyed the film, "The Bodyguard," although I never have thought of Kevin Costner as well suited to play either a tough guy or a romantic guy. He sort of looks like a shoe salesman to me.
You are reading writers who are unknown to me. I might search a bit to find out if any of their works have been translated to English. Even if so, the only fiction I read (these days) are stories with happy endings .... although, the concept of being snowbound in the wilderness during winter with a woman has a great deal of appeal to me.
You have been so quiet recently that I was beginning to wonder if you had run off and eloped with an Italian tourist. Just make sure to let me know if you ever do !!??
Yes, you, too, Anita -- I hope your days will be filled with happiness and good fortune. Take care, stay safe and try hard to always wear a smile because that is the way I picture you in my mind .... thinking of you ....
It is sad about the end of this tree, Kaya, but I try to remind myself that all life is temporary and accept it that way. There is a positive side to this, too. The vista I now see out of the window is of more trees, larger trees, healthier trees and, above and beyond them, a beautiful, often cloud-filled sky.
Fire is a necessity for cooking and for heating, but it can be a terrible, destructive force, as well. It is too bad you lost your trees to a fire and I am sure you were devasted. When I was a journalist in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the newspaper photographer and I went up in an aircraft to get some aerial shots of a vast forest fire. The sight of it affected me to the degree that I went back after we had landed and joined the volunteers in the fire lines fighting it. A flood had the same effect on me when I was a college boy. By day, I was a student; by night, I was filling sandbags.
I think of trees as friends. No doubt about it and, someday, I hope to be living the midst of a forest again, preferably by the edge of a big, big lake.
Most of my days are quiet and peaceful, Kaya. I hope your days are the same. Take care and stay safe and hug a tree when you next get the opportunity ....
It was sad that the tree was removed.
Trees and plants make the living environment comfortable.
Sometimes it can be disturbed even if the tree prevents light from entering the window. Also sunlight must be in the room.
I enjoy Enya's music and great forest pictures, thank you! :)
Sad that the tree is forever gone .... yes, for sure, Liplatus. The natural earth has many things which are not only beautiful to behold, but have both intrinsic and extrinsic values. A tree certainly has all three of these things.
As you might recall, I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a few years. There, the land is almost entirely covered by forests. The only place to see the vastness of the sky and the beauty of clouds is on the shoreline of Lake Superior or out on The Lake itself. After having lived there for a few years, we traveled to Minnesota for my then-wife and I to canoe the length of the Minnesota River. While in southern Minnesota, with its endless prairies and farmland, I observed the huge, towering cumulus-type clouds and realized how much I missed seeing them. The same is true now. One tree is gone, but its departure has opened a vista with many other trees and the blue sky, often filled with glorious, billowing clouds, now visible there for me to see. So, I am both sad and happy, in an unusual sort of way.
I am glad you came here to visit me, Liplatus. Take care, stay safe, be happy ....
Que pena que essa árvore teve que ser cortada, parece uma bonita árvore, mesmo estando cinzas. Aqui cai muitas árvores na rua em época de verão devido aos temporais. Muitas delas estão com as raízes doente e não resiste aos ventos fortes. Não conhecia essa música "a memória da árvores" com Enya. Achei a música melancólica.
Quanto o John Doe a versão dele é muito boa.
Continuação de boa semana Fram!
It is a pity the ash tree was in its decline and I feel badly that I chose to end its existence now -- but, it also is a fact that all living creatures and plants face eventual demise and death. That is a common fate we all share. And, as I have pointed out a few times, I now have other trees and sky often filled with majestic clouds to see through my window. I am watching the gathering dusk through the window as I write this ....
It was not many years ago that Dutch elm disease devastated the populations of elms in the United States and Europe. Now, two other diseases are causing havoc among ash trees. It is no secret that at some point in the future there will be few, if any, ash trees in the metropolitan area and probably not in the entire country. It is only a matter of time.
I like the music of Enya, but I am familiar with very little of it. I sort of stumbled on, "The Memory of Trees," by accident and decided it would fit in nicely with my post. The word, "melancholy," often describes the music of Enya -- and, the mood of Fram.
I would go so far as to say the John Doe rendition of, "I Will Always Love You," is the absolute best version of the song. For sure, it is my favorite version.
As always, thank you, Smareis, for coming here and for leaving your words here. I hope only the best for you and I think of you every day ....
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