Shaggy Bark Hickory

I needed a good reference photo for a painting I was working on and came across some interesting information about trees. I'm a tree lover-good thing too, since I live in the woods! We have a lot of shaggy bark hickory on the property but I still wanted photographic reference. It's easier to bring the tree to me, rather than lug all my painting paraphenalia to the tree!

Anyway, I also found a website that caught my attention about why bark "splits". So, being the geek I am I had to read about it. I remember reading about trees and such thousands of years ago in grade school but I didn't remember that ALL trees have a layer of cork in them.

When you touching a tree, you are touching the layer of the bark called the cork. This is a waterproof material that won't let the tree's water escape through it. As the tree grows the bark cracks, because it can't stretch to the larger size. Kinda like splitting the seams on your jeans, huh. A layer of cells makes new cork to fill in between the broken cork so that the tree's water doesn't get out. TMI, right? Read on...

In most trees, the cork layer is really thin. In the Cork Oak which grows in Portugal it gets very thick. When the cork layer gets thick enough, it is cut from the tree. It keeps growing back so the tree survives and more cork is harvested from it over time. They're weird looking once the layer is removed-they're orange. Look on this website if you want to see.

http://grandpacliff.com/Trees/Bark&Cork.htm

Now you know where the cork in wine bottles and bulletin boards comes from.

Oh yeah, my painting is almost done too. I used modeling paste on slate to try to duplicate the bark of the tree. It looks pretty good so far. I'll post it when it's done.

Summer Solstice

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice! The word solstice means “sun stands still”. At these times the Sun seems to change very little from one day to the next and appears to remain in one place north or south of the equator. Interesting…I didn’t know that. I do know that the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year for daylight. Unfortunately, I have also heard it called the “Death of the Sun” because our days begin to get shorter and the nights longer. I do find comfort however, in the fact that the Winter Solstice is the "Rebirth of the Sun". Okay, I'm weird, what can I say.

Ancient Pagans celebrated the Solstice at Midsummer (3 days after, on June 24) with bonfires and couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as they were able to jump. My poor little garden needs me to leap VERY high I guess!

Another interesting fact is that all these weddings we see in June are because it was the time between the planting time (@May) and harvest time. It was believed that Beltane (May) was the marriage of the God and Goddess and it was bad luck to interfere with the deities, thus people married after that.

So many traditions in our lives are based on pagan celebrations and rites.

One last comment, according to Wiccan belief, to celebrate Litha we should focus outward and experience the joy of “plenty” in our lives. What a nice thought, to experience joy and have plenty.

May you all have plenty and live with ease.

Happy Solstice!


References
"Solstice," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009 http://encarta.msn.com.
“Summer Solstice” http://www.crystalinks.com/summersolstice.html.

Indian Pipe

I don't know why I feel the need to share this with you, other than the fact that this plant seems almost mystical and magical. It's Latin name is Monotropa uniflora, but it is also known as the Ghost Plant, Indian Pipe, or Corpse Plant and is scarce or rare in occurrence. Figures we'd have an abundance of them in our woods!

Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain any chlorophyll. It is basically a parasite, living off of the fungi that lives off of the energy of photosynthetic trees. I find them under trees, close to the base. Indian Pipe is a food source for small bumble bees, which visit the flowers for nectar. They are waxy feeling and very strange...yet fascinating.

The View From My Window

"Clutter" is many things but a part of everyone's life-whether we admit it or not. The cluttering up of our hearts, souls and spirits is what makes each of us unique. The clutter of my life here will include many things. I hope you enjoy the view.

My home is in the woods. I live in a log cabin built from the trees on the land in the "old style". It's rustic, drafty but I love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. Right now, as I type, the birds are waking up and calling to each other. A new day. We should take a lesson from them and greet each morning as a new beginning and let go of the trials and tribulations of the previous day...and sing!

I'm not sure what you will read on this blog but it will be from my heart and will be honest. I love to write and I'll share some of the short stories and poetry I've written and will write here. I'm also an artist so there will be photos of some of my work from the past and that to come.

So, come walk with me and we'll see what we discover!