"Trees"

Trees 

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indeed. 

Trees represent age and beauty and the miracles of life and growth. Thus, I end this series with Joyce Kilmer's classic lyric poem Trees. I used to sing it in my elementary school class.

Dog wood In Spring.
Photo: VEV, Columbus: 2022

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

Maple Ash in Summer. Photo: ATV, Columbus: 2022

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Dogwood In Winter. Photo: VEV, Columbus: 2022

Apple Picking In The Fall. Photos: ITV, Lynd Fruit Farm, Columbus: 2022

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

BANYAN TREE

Trees

Eleven days ago, on August 8, this was in the news:

Devastating fire rips through Maui; sparks concerns about beloved banyan 

And subsequently:

More than 100 killed, 1000 still unaccounted for 

How strange and sadly coincidental that I had written this blog way back on June 15 and scheduled it for posting today, August 19.

***********************

If walking by Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, you see an odd-looking massive tree and you’re like, What is that? - then you may just have seen a banyan.

Banyan. Photo: VEV, Waikiki: 2022

Or if you were in Maui, strolling along the Lahaina Court Park that is shaded by a canopy of trees reaching upward to a height of 60 feet, you’d probably think, A whole bunch of trees.

Actually, it is one BIG banyan that has grown sixteen major trunks in addition to its original trunk in the center, all connected together.

Daughters Dwarfed By Giant Banyan.
Lahaina, Maui, 1981

Awesome!

Well, here are a few amazing facts about the banyan, in general.

It's a strangler tree.

It grows from seeds that land on other trees. It sends down roots that smother the host tree and grow into stout, branch-supporting pillars that resemble new tree trunks.

It's gigantic.

The biggest one alive today is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It covers 4.7 acres and can shelter 20,000 people.

It is many-footed and can walk.

Unlike other trees that have to stay rooted, the banyan actually moves forward slowly with every new trunk it puts out.

It's cosmic.

Hindu texts written more than 2500 years ago describe a banyan growing upside-down with its roots in the heavens. Its trunk and branches extend to Earth to bring blessings to humanity.

 Lahaina Banyan Revisited. 2018

It is considered God's shelter.

In Hinduism, the tree is considered a symbol of immortality and of Brahma the Creator. Its large leaves are often used in worship and rituals. 

Hindus say a banyan tree at Jyotisar is the one Krishna stood beneath when he delivered the sermon of the Bhagavad Gita.

It's been called the tree of life and fertility.

With its unique ability to spread in an ever-widening circle with the help of its aerial roots, the tree achieves a long lifespan

And finally, be on the lookout.

It could be haunted.

According to Hindu mythology, the banyan tree provides shelter to ghosts and other supernatural beings.

Today, the most haunting thought that remains is one of endurance and survival.

To the people of Maui and to the mighty banyan, I invoke the sentiment of this Japanese proverb:

 Fall down seven times, get up eight.

My rallying cry:

HO‘OMAU

Persist. Continue. Perpetuate. Never give up.

"August"

Trees

 From little seeds grow mighty trees. - Anonymous

You may have heard of a tree being planted to commemorate especial occasions.

This one grew by itself.

A gift from heaven.

Perhaps delivered by a black-capped chickadee.

It sprouted on our back yard right around the month that Second Granddaughter was born, eleven years ago. 

Since that time, it has put forth more leaves and flourished, seemingly growing in tandem with the baby girl.

A couple of years back, as we noted the tree's progress and shared the story with Second Granddaughter, she thought, then said, I'll name it "August."

A Pre-Teen Smirk.

Photo: ITV, Columbus: February, 2023

So it is that "August," which has since then grown taller exponentially, has become her birthday tree...

... here celebrating their eleven years together next Friday. 

Second Granddaughter with her birthday tree, "August," a Sweet Buckeye tree. Columbus: July 2023

Cold Shoulder Top, Fourth Grade School Pic. February 2023

Cheers to you two! Here's a wish that's bright and sunny, filled with love and happiness in every way!

Be like a tree.

Stay grounded.

Connect with your roots.

Bend before you break.

Can you spot the little girl atop this gigantic tree?

Tree House. Children's Museum. Indianapolis: 2023

And most of all,

keep

growing.

Tree Frolic With Cousins.

Hawaii: August 2022 

           Hibachi Birthday Dinner. Fujiyawa Steakhouse of Japan. Ohio: 2023

Pizza Time! Swim party. Plain Township Aquatic Center. August 2023

Nezuko-Adorned Bday Cake

You gave me what??!! Awesome!

SpongeBob Popsicles - A Fitting End To A Really Cool Day!

ALAGAO

Trees

Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there. - Bob Ross

Dirt, mud, puddles, sticks, and tadpoles?

Oh, yeah.

In the original family compound garden on Fountain Street, I had them all - and more. 

Beetles, hairy spiders, and piglet bugs to stash in a matchbox. Dragonflies hiding in covert places in the overgrown talahib grass. Squiggly catfish in the back canal across from Aling Binay's house.

But what always fascinated me were trees, maybe because I had been surrounded by them all through my childhood days. They are, as Khalil Gibran says, poems that earth writes upon the sky.

So, I'll talk about some of these in this series.

Do you know what an alagao tree is?

Nondescript, small, and hairy, it was the source of what to me at the time was my most creative venture.

I didn't know then that its seeds were considered effective for lowering cholesterol and increasing blood circulation.

Or that its raw leaves could be used to wrap up ingredients the way a tortilla or fresh lumpia wrapper was used.

I did know I could make beautiful colored ink from its fleshy, dark purple, round seeds.

The process  was straightforward. It didn't require the use of any special equipment. Here was how I did it.

1. Gather the alagao berries

2. Place a few berries into a strainer

3. Crush the berries until they have all been squeezed into juice

4. Use the ink

How's that for a sustainable and biodegradable ink? 

I was channeling how ancient civilizations made colorful dyes from natural pigments. 

Genius, don't you think?

Funnel Cake

Summertime

The one thing that I love in summer?

More than fireworks on the Fourth of July?

More than kettle corn and red-white-and-blue shaved ice?

More than floating along on Zombeezi's lazy river?

Funnel cake.

For me, it is the princess of doughnuts.

Frilly, crispy, delicate-looking, yummier than Dunkin' Donuts or even Krispy Kreme's original glazed confections. 

Lightly sweetened. Squiggly. Soft and crunchy at the same time.

It is made by pouring a thin batter through... a funnel (what else?) directly into hot oil and fried until golden. Then topped with plenty of powdered sugar and eaten while crisp and warm.

Wow.

Summer has truly never tasted so good.

Dazzling Topaz

Summertime 

Ah, to do nothing and do it well. - Veronique Vienne

You know what sounds amazing for dinner? Anything I didn't have to cook. 

My baking expertise? It only reaches as far as ready-to-bake Marie Callender's brownies and even those end up extra crunchy, Grandma-style, as Second Granddaughter avers.

Making jello? Second Daughter says that for me, it's rocket science.

My cooking is so fabulous that even the smoke alarm is cheering me on.

BUT... my summertime drinks are phenomenal.

Consider my Dazzling Topaz. 

In lieu of soda, it's my go-to beverage.

The best on the PLANET, as far as I'm concerned. 

All you need is a sizzling summer day, a few ingredients, and a little time.

DAZZLING TOPAZ

(Serves 36)

Stir: 6 cups water

        6 cups white corn syrup

Add: 3 cups lemon juice

        3 teaspoons mint extract

        few drops yellow food color

        168 oz ginger ale

Garnish with:   fresh mint leaves and lemon slices

Chill.

Sip.

Easy and simple. 

It's a smile,

It's a kiss,

It's a sip of sparkling topaz.

It's summer time!

P.S.

I just received this email from one of my faithful blog readers: 

Do you know I still have all the recipes that you shared with me, some in your own handwriting? One is the dazzling topaz recipe. I always loved that drink! You would make it for parties and our piano recitals. I attached a picture of your recipe. Notice the date and our old email addresses!

Love,

Alena 

The Livin' Is Easy

Summertime

I was in graduate school when I decided I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Way back in the late 60's. 

So I used my Rockefeller grad school book allowance and got myself a Lumanog.

Lumanog is synonymous with Philippine-made acoustic guitars. When someone wants an acoustic guitar, the advice is always, Get a Lumanog. It's the best.

I did.

The guitar I got had nylon strings. It had a spruce top and rosewood fingerboard. I strummed a tuneless chord when I first cradled it in my arms and thought, Hmmm, not bad. Not bad at all.  

But I had to learn chords. The first song I learned?

Summertime.

It was a random choice. The song is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. I didn't know then about its social implications. I just loved it for its slightly melancholy feel and the fact that it had only five chords.

Am

   Summertime,

E7                   Am

   And the livin' is easy

Dm

   Fish are jumpin'

F                    E7

   And the cotton is high

 Am

   Oh, Your daddy's rich

E7                        Am

   And your mamma's good lookin'

C

   So hush little baby

E7            Am

   Don't you cry.

A winner for me.

I must confess that it felt weird learning to play and your fingers were constantly messed up a handful.

Yet I persevered, practicing every night.

I loved my guitar's resonance. It wasn't twangy. I thought the tone was quite balanced.

And I played and sang to myself, Summertime, and the livin' is easy.

The fish had been jumping for a long time and the cotton was high before I really mastered my chords. 

Really.

But soon, I was crooning, rising up, singing in the mornings.

Celebrating the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.