Here's a live oak that I passed on my walk today. Unlike most of the live oaks in Lloyd, it has nothing at all growing around it so you can see the true majesty of it. The lot it grows on belongs to a nearby Methodist church. It is a huge church and there's a darling little old house on the lot right beside that van that someone left to the Methodists in their will. It is the lot that the Methodists cleared to utter tidiness, ripping out a beautiful native azalea. You know I will never forgive them for that. Plant-a-cide is a sin I will not tolerate.
The house beyond the tree is also a nice old place. The sweetest elderly bulldog used to live there and lie in the sun on the walkway in front of it and I would stop and pet her and tell her that she was the prettiest dog in Lloyd, and as bulldogs do, she would wiggle all over from tail to ears, grinning her bulldog smile.
I miss her.
I miss that azalea too.
When I finally hauled myself out of my warm bed this morning it was chilly, gray as slate, and drizzling. "Well, no walk today," I thought, and I will admit that the thought did not bring me disappointment. Then a little later Jessie texted that she was going to take a walk and I felt guilty because I wasn't even though the rain had stopped and within ten minutes, the sky was entirely blue and the sun was shining as if to make up for lost time.
Well. Damn.
I put on my walking clothes and I knew that it would be the best thing for me to get out into that sun and it was. I kept finding myself looking up which reminded me of Ross and that gave me even another reason to be glad I was outside.
This is an arrangement of vines that I found to be so interesting. They were in another live oak that I passed.
And here's some resurrection fern on a branch.
I love the way the sun is glorifying part of it. That branch is as big as most trees. I wonder how many hundreds of years old these trees are. I'm pretty darn sure that when they began life as acorns, there were no Europeans on the continent.
The camellias are truly back. I picked some today. I know I post too many camellia pictures but really- can there BE too many camellia pictures?
Tonight's bed covering variation may include the real duck. At least on my side of the bed. It's going to get even chillier than it was last night. My husband is home from a visit to his local mechanic to try and address an air bag problem on the Camaro and I think I will go and remind him that it is time to make his wife a martini. I can hear the children next door at the church where they are doing their Friday night gathering. It is comforting to hear them. The birds are making their going-to-bed noises and I have made sauce for tonight's enchiladas and the house smells wonderful.
It's been a sweet day in Lloyd.
Happy Friday, y'all.
Love...Ms. Moon
There's no such thing as too many camellia pictures, especially to those of us in deep winter cold.
ReplyDeleteI read that ss bullfrog at first, and was surprised she would let you pet her.
About the "neat" garden, there are people who will never understand that nature isn't neat. Nature's sprawling, generous, alive. She grows beans, doesn't count them.
I would NOT pet a bullfrog. You can bet the ranch on that. I have a...thing about frogs.
DeleteThere are a lot of people who don't care a whit about nature. They just want tidy. I do not understand them.
I wondered why you would put a duck on your bed when you have a perfectly good chicken. And then my brain woke up.
ReplyDeleteWhy are they called Live Oaks? Do you have a lot of dead ones?
Your camellias are beautiful and I am so glad you went for that walk and was reminded of Ross.
They're called live oaks because the leaves stay green all year. They also house a ton of life, from ferns to critters, but that's not where the name gomes from.
DeleteYou are right, Hank! And yes- there is an entire eco-system going on the live oaks.
DeleteI was really glad I'd taken that walk.
You can never have too many pictures of your gorgeous, creamy pink camillias!
ReplyDeleteI lived in the little town of Live Oak, California when I was married to my first husband, the father of both my boys.
The Southern Live Oak tree gets its name from the fact it does not lose its leaves in the autumn.
I had to do a search for that info ... I did not know this about these trees.
Oh my goodness, Marcia! There's a town in Florida not very far from here called Live Oak. It's not a very big town. At first I didn't realize you were talking about a town in California and I thought, "Whoa! That's crazy!"
DeleteAnother vote for more camellias. When a flower is so perfect it looks artificial there can never be too many.
ReplyDeleteThey honestly do look too perfect to be real, don't they?
DeleteI first met live oaks at Christmas time in Texas. My mother, Ohio bred and born, informed me of the reason for the name. No idea how she knew.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's pretty cool that she did!
Deletethat oak is spectacular! Where we live....we have coastal oaks, live oaks, canyon oaks and blue oaks. Some of the trees where we live (1000 acre property) has oaks that are probably 200 years old. We don't get the spanish moss hanging here (which I love)........but just 5 miles east of us.....spanish moss hangs on all the oaks. Each time a limb falls......we lament....... but..... so it is, and we bless each limb that ends up keeping us warm with the wood stove. Glad you got walk in, and it is martini friday....which I thought it was yesterday,, but I was wrong! LOL. And no, never can have enough camellia photos!
ReplyDeleteSusan M
We have lots of different oaks too. Water oaks, pin oaks...I don't know. That's so funny about the Spanish Moss only growing on trees five miles away. I love it too.
DeleteOaks do drop branches and when they're the huge ones it is especially heartbreaking and can actually be dangerous.
I looked up why live oaks are called live oaks, interesting. The oak trees we have here are so tiny, it's sad, but they persist. Glad you got outside for a good walk. I meant to walk today but by the time we got back from Wetaskiwin to visit my father in law and got the pork ragu simmering, it was time to pick Jack up from daycare. Tomorrow hopefully. Hope you had a lovely evening.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope YOU got a walk today. Do you have different trees that are huge?
DeleteAbout the biggest trees around are poplars but they only live around 50-70 years and a lot of people don't like them. They're native to our area, so do well. And spruce get quite large around here.
DeleteI still haven't had my walk, now I'm hoping for tomorrow. It's lovely and warm and sunny here, 8C, and everything is melting.
There can never be too many photos of your gorgeous camellias!
ReplyDeleteNoted!
DeleteI agree, there can never be too many photos of your camellias. I made a pot of spaghetti sauce today and my kitchen smells lovely. I'm glad you got your walk in.
ReplyDeleteAnd now my kitchen smells like spaghetti sauce!
DeleteThat tree is a beauty isn't she! I love trees and was so taken with the beauties I saw in Costa Rica and Sri Lanka. Just stunning!
ReplyDeleteTrees are so obviously sentient beings. At least to my mind.
DeleteSunshine, blue skies, and pretty flowers will always make you feel better, I think!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteI love your bulldog description -- SO true!
ReplyDeleteBulldogs- I've known a few!
DeleteMark from Bikeshed here - can’t comment by my account for some reason- odd? We have not enough trees and especially oaks here - but then I guess we have the sea!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why or how that happens, Mark. I am so sorry.
DeleteThe sea is a very decent trade-off for large trees.
Plant-a-cide!! haha! What a wonderful day you had.
ReplyDeleteI just hate it when people cut down trees and plants they have no idea the value and beauty of.
Delete