Well hello Mother Nature...

[rondrond]

We had a freak storm the other day...winds to 81 mph...

I had just  mowed and trimmed neighbors yard and our front yard yesterday. I had to stop and recover my breath about 6 times (I didn't think I was going to finish) and drank about 2 litres of water. I had not checked the weather on the computer , just went outside and got busy. When I came inside I checked and it was 90 degrees...well..no wonder.

Yesterday I was going to trim the vines and start the backyard. I got dressed and when I hit the patio, I SAW the lush greenness out the corner of my eye.....



My brain was trying to register that something was amiss, but, I chose to ignore it...as I saw ..OH...my yellow Irises are starting to bloom...



Then. I turned to get busy on the vines on the fence...and...just stopped and ..looked...my brain was having a time of getting through my AM drug fog as I just couldn't sem to register what I was seeing...

..but I knew it wasn't grass or vines...





then I went out the gate to the back part to get a better  look and OH..my purple Irises are blooming...at least what I could see, the rest of the bed and my Day Lilies are under all this mess...









Mom has connections, somewhere as the tree man came out yesterday evening...I Finally know what kind of tree this is...he told me it is a Hackberry Tree...

I've never in all my 58 years of being around , ever heard of a Hackberry Tree, but according to this article, they have very hard wood that was used by the pioneers to make floor planks and is hard as steel. ...which sounds like he must have a very large and powerful chainsaw as they are supposed to be very hard wood.



Type of tree:
The Hackberry falls into the following type(s): Ornamental Trees, Shade Trees
Mature Height:
The Hackberry grows to be 40' - 60' feet in height.
Mature Spread:
The Hackberry has a spread of about 40' - 60' at full maturity.
Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a medium to fast growth rate.

Sun:
This Hackberry does well in full sun.


Soil:
The Hackberry grows in acidic, alkaline, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, wet, wide range, clay soils.


Moisture:
Has some tolerance for both flooding and drought.


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Shape:
This Hackberry has rounded, vase shape.
Leaves:
Shaped like spearheads, approximately 2 to 4 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide, arranged alternately along the twigs. Small teeth edge at least the upper half of the leaf.


Flower Color:
Green color, faded, not noteworthy


Bloom Time:
April-May.


Fruit Description:
The Hackberry produces a small, dark-red berries that turn purple as they mature. The berry is less than 1/2 inch in diameter and is borne on slender stems about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long. Inside is a pit, that when scraped clean, reveals an interesting net-like pattern. The fruit is attractive to wildlife.


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Additional Information
Attributes:
The Hackberry has been called admiringly, "one tough tree!" Found on a wide range of soils east of the Rockies from southern Canada to Florida, Hackberries thrive in a wide range of temperatures and on sites that vary from 14 to 60 inches of annual rainfall. Here is a tree that can stand up to strong winds, tolerate air pollution, and bring shade to hot city streets.

Description:
Tolerant of a wide range of conditions, the Hackberry is a good landscape choice. Grows to a broad crown with arching branches, not unlike the American Elm. Well-suited to urban areas, it withstands wind and city conditions. Grows 40'-70' with a 50' spread.

Wildlife Value:
The fruit of the Hackberry is popular with winter birds, especially the cedar waxwing, mockingbird, and robin.

History/Lore/Use:
In earlier years, its tough, flexible wood was used for barrel hoops and many a pioneer cabin was equipped with durable Hackberry wood flooring. The tree was first cultivated in 1636.


I went next door to let MRE know that they would be out trimming the trees and would be in his driveway too...and ..

MrsE answered the door...I told her and she then let me know that MrE had passed the night before...I almost fainted and started to cry uncontrollably...I don't know why his death has hit me so hard....

I do his yard work for him and he would come out and sit on a v\bench and talk to me while I was working and I watched him just..cave in..like a ...Halloween Pumpkin....he had cancer, and knew he was dying....

Why do the living deny what the one who is going through it..knows?

Right now there are about 7 strapping fine examples of Paul Bunyans working their chainsaws....and I haven't even looked out the window....

[lipoenvy]

Wow!  This post has everything -- natural disaster, stunning scenery, drugs, botany and history lesson, flashbacks, death, sex.  I think it could be a major motion picture.

Still waiting for the photos of the Paul Bunyans, though.

lipoenvy

[bear60]

Ron...
Your posts always hit me like a sack of potatos.  Its ok to have these feelings...about death and dying.  Perhaps you need to talk more about it.
In any case, you need to get some photos of the Bunyans. lol

Joel

[denb45]

  {{{ HUGS }}} 

[leatherman]

WOW!  about the tree
we had some severe storms here the other day (the first of two hail storms slammed ice down on us for over 17mins!) Luckily all the branches that came down were in the back half of the property in the woods. However in the last week, me and my trusty chainsaw have whacked down 14 dead trees from around the property. I'm glad I got down one today before the next storm. I had it nearly felled when a gust of wind came along and shifted it. The top half of the tree snapped off and fell, cracking into 6 huge pieces. Me and the doggies are all okay but a section of fence got crunched.

WoW! about the irises
My irises are just forming their buds in the last couple of days up here in SC. I can't believe how big and beautiful yours are already.

Do those purple ones look like this picture? It's hard to tell from your picture. If so then they are the tall bearded "Sweet Reflection" version. I used to have those when I was living in Ohio

Wow! about your neighbor.
that's very sad. I'm sure he was probably very thankful for the yard work that you did when he couldn't and also for the company and conversation

Wow! about the Bunyans
there's nothing better than having hot sweaty men over to do work on your property. now where are the pictures? 

[denb45]

there's nothing better than having hot sweaty men over to do work on your property. now where are the pictures? 

I prefer to do the hot sweaty work along with the hot and sweaty men, much more fun that way