My Neighbor the Tree 11-21-08

Corky is here for a few nights, I really needed some doggie lovin'. When I have him with me, no matter where we are, I must take him for a walk about 4pm. No choice, he will plague me and annoy me until I do it - same for his mommy. How he knows it is 4pm I have no idea. It must have to do with the light, because he has to adjust to bi-annual time change just like the rest of us. I have thought recently how little I know most of my neighbors, but I know a lot about their trees and yards. I see them every time I drive down the street and I see them more slowly when Corky and I walk. I do sometimes walk on my own, but can usually find a valid reason not to. I wonder how many of us would be willing to help the others as some people did during the fires. Who do I think would be out helping others? My next door neighbor "Mark-to-the-South", Scott and Elva across from Mark, and Melissa at the end of the cul-de-sac who lives with her 3 year old son and her frail mother. That is about it. There is another Mark next door to me on the north side, but I don't think he would help anyone and I wouldn't ask him. Then there are maybe six additional neighbors who I know well enough to stop and say hello. But there are many houses where I have never seen the occupants in twenty years. When I was growing up we knew everyone from one end of the street to the next and people on the side street and on the streets to the East and West. Even the houses that didn't have children had a connection because the occupants would be working in their gardens or on their cars or just sitting on the porch reading the paper. Here there are very few children and they stay inside - I suppose computers and video games occupy their time. Their parents don't tend gardens or work on cars (except for Scott). And there are no porches.

I do know a lot of trees and statues and flowers that grow along the street. This is one of my favorites, but I don't know what kind of pine tree it is. I don't remember ever seeing one that has this peculiar trunk shape. I wonder if the people that live here know, I imagine not. I remember the first time I drove East from here to SCarolina. I looked around at the gorgeous, tall, urn shaped trees growing abundantly along the highway and when we stopped for gas in Arkansas I ask the attendant, "What are these very tall trees?" "They are just trees," he replied."What are they called?" I asked. He looked around vaguely and said, "We just call them trees." I was astounded that someone wouldn't know what was growing around them. I had never thought that maybe everyone wasn't interested in their surroundings, their habitat, the plants and creatures that live around them. We are distracted by our own needs and desires and don't pay attention to 'Mother Earth'. If we want to leave a planet for our grandchildren we need to pay more attention.