Architecture - A good day to plant a tree, was: Re: Developer Snout House Tract

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A good day to plant a tree, was: Re: Developer Snout House Tract

Michael Bulatovich

2007-01-23, 1:27 pm

"Ken S. Tucker" <dynamics@vianet.on.ca> wrote in message
news:1169573348.333547.75620@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

> It lacks some small parks with nice trees that makes
> living in a filing cabinet tolerable.

The sod looks brand new, and you're right, there's not a tree in sight. I
heard something today on CBC that caught my attention. It's one of those
alleged 'ancient Chinese proverbs', and goes, "The best day to plant a tree
was twenty years ago. The second best day is today."

I hemmed and hawed for five years after I bought this first house before
planting a conventional city tree in the back yard (in front of a deck with
southern exposure). Five years. I wanted something 'perfect'. In the end,
having learned what I now know about the toxic Juglans Nigra nearby, I
finally conceded to planting a really 'tough customer'-Gleditsia
Triancanthos. Something was better than nothing, or at least the second best
day to plant a tree had arrived.

At the nursery one was discounted because it was lop-sided, but I knew it
was lop-sided 'just right' for this spot. I needed no branches on one side
within 10' of grade, and not much spread before that point on one side. (Who
else goes to a nursery with a dimensioned 3d sketch of the tree's
permissible envelope?) My daughter was about 6 then, and we put the rootball
in the trunk of our 1989 Jetta. The rest hung out the back at highway speed
until all the leaflets had blown off. Now the thing's 5' taller than the
house, and has pretty much made an umbrella redundant on the deck in the
summer.

The sun is crawling it's way back up in declination, so summer's coming.
That means grilled meat, horiatiki, and Pinot Grigio in a sweaty glass under
the dappled shade of that thing, if everything else in my life holds
together.
--

MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

Ken S. Tucker

2007-01-23, 5:31 pm

Michael Bulatovich wrote:
> "Ken S. Tucker" <dynamics@vianet.on.ca> wrote in message
> news:1169573348.333547.75620@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> The sod looks brand new, and you're right, there's not a tree in sight. I
> heard something today on CBC that caught my attention. It's one of those
> alleged 'ancient Chinese proverbs', and goes, "The best day to plant a tree
> was twenty years ago. The second best day is today."
>
> I hemmed and hawed for five years after I bought this first house before
> planting a conventional city tree in the back yard (in front of a deck with
> southern exposure). Five years. I wanted something 'perfect'. In the end,
> having learned what I now know about the toxic Juglans Nigra nearby, I
> finally conceded to planting a really 'tough customer'-Gleditsia
> Triancanthos. Something was better than nothing, or at least the second best
> day to plant a tree had arrived.
>
> At the nursery one was discounted because it was lop-sided, but I knew it
> was lop-sided 'just right' for this spot. I needed no branches on one side
> within 10' of grade, and not much spread before that point on one side. (Who
> else goes to a nursery with a dimensioned 3d sketch of the tree's
> permissible envelope?) My daughter was about 6 then, and we put the rootball
> in the trunk of our 1989 Jetta. The rest hung out the back at highway speed
> until all the leaflets had blown off. Now the thing's 5' taller than the
> house, and has pretty much made an umbrella redundant on the deck in the
> summer.
>
> The sun is crawling it's way back up in declination, so summer's coming.
> That means grilled meat, horiatiki, and Pinot Grigio in a sweaty glass under
> the dappled shade of that thing,

Yeah, I watched a naked upscale subdivision
(Cathedral Bluffs) get planted in 60's Scarboro, but
the residences went to work planting purple maples,
Catalpia, crab apple, white birch..., by choice,
and in 5 years the place was a pleasure to walk
through. A friend of ours was so impatient he had
a full size tree hauled in and planted.
Trees takes the cardboard taste out of a sub-division,
I wonder why builders don't install a few prior
to selling?

"if everything else in my life holds together."

Wow, that sounded ominous, can I donate a
case of duct tape?
Ken

> MichaelB
> www.michaelbulatovich.ca

Michael Bulatovich

2007-01-23, 5:31 pm

"Ken S. Tucker" <dynamics@vianet.on.ca> wrote in message
news:1169582137.032007.307120@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> Michael Bulatovich wrote:

> "if everything else in my life holds together."
>
> Wow, that sounded ominous, can I donate a
> case of duct tape?

Don't want to jinx anything, you know?

Ken S. Tucker

2007-01-24, 8:25 pm

On Jan 23, 12:06 pm, "Michael Bulatovich" <Ple...@dont.try> wrote:
> "Ken S. Tucker" <dynam...@vianet.on.ca> wrote in messagenews:1169582137.032007.307120@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
>

[color=darkred]
>Don't want to jinx anything, you know?

My parents would spend their week-end
exchanging beer bottles...ballistically .
A good old Prof exclained 85% of people
are XXX-holes, those 85% act against
their self interest. In my case, I was
accused of being emotionally afoft.
I was inteligent enough to know that no
amount of effort on my part would vary the
dummy 85% destined to failure, so why try.
Weirdly, I was subject to a psycho exam,
and they firgred I was autistic. They couldn't
understand what "arms length" relationship
means. Fucking gov workers are stupid.
Ken

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