Comments on: Loitering in Mind http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/ Ridiculous Pursuits, Solemn Matters Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:40:03 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11419 John Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:35:44 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11419 <strong>cynth:</strong> Remember the Ents? You might just as well ask me if I remember Tom Bombadil! Okay, bad example there. I <em>love</em> trees and, like you, tend to almost think of them with personalities. Little story about that: When I got my first house, which was out in the country, it had a lot of trees on the property, so I wanted to hire a tree specialist/nurseryman to take care of them properly. The first gentleman I called came by the house and carefully inspected them all -- all were in good shape except the Crimson King Maple in the back yard. "That one," he said, "has a girdling root." "A... what?" "Girdling root. It's where a root wraps itself around the trunk below the ground surface. As the girdling root grows and swells, it cuts off more and more of the nourishment from the other roots. It strangles the tree, relentlessly." Just his using the word "relentlessly" to describe a tree's behavior sufficed. I didn't even bother calling anyone else.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11419','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11419','John','<strong>cynth:<\/strong> Remember the Ents? You might just as well ask me if I remember Tom Bombadil! Okay, bad example there.\r\n\r\nI <em>love<\/em> trees and, like you, tend to almost think of them with personalities. Little story about that:\r\n\r\nWhen I got my first house, which was out in the country, it had a lot of trees on the property, so I wanted to hire a tree specialist\/nurseryman to take care of them properly. The first gentleman I called came by the house and carefully inspected them all -- all were in good shape except the Crimson King Maple in the back yard.\r\n\r\n\"That one,\" he said, \"has a girdling root.\"\r\n\r\n\"A... what?\"\r\n\r\n\"Girdling root. It\'s where a root wraps itself around the trunk below the ground surface. As the girdling root grows and swells, it cuts off more and more of the nourishment from the other roots. It strangles the tree, relentlessly.\"\r\n\r\nJust his using the word \"relentlessly\" to describe a tree\'s behavior sufficed. I didn\'t even bother calling anyone else.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> cynth: Remember the Ents? You might just as well ask me if I remember Tom Bombadil! Okay, bad example there.

I love trees and, like you, tend to almost think of them with personalities. Little story about that:

When I got my first house, which was out in the country, it had a lot of trees on the property, so I wanted to hire a tree specialist/nurseryman to take care of them properly. The first gentleman I called came by the house and carefully inspected them all — all were in good shape except the Crimson King Maple in the back yard.

“That one,” he said, “has a girdling root.”

“A… what?”

“Girdling root. It’s where a root wraps itself around the trunk below the ground surface. As the girdling root grows and swells, it cuts off more and more of the nourishment from the other roots. It strangles the tree, relentlessly.”

Just his using the word “relentlessly” to describe a tree’s behavior sufficed. I didn’t even bother calling anyone else.

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]]> By: cynth http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11407 cynth Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:58:09 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11407 I thought of Ents after reading the Mary Oliver piece. Remember them from Lord of the Rings? Trees always seemed slowly alive to me. Like they didn't mind the seasons and the rain and the birds. They are like old men waiting out their days. Hope you are feeling better and you get to have a Thanksgiving dinner you can taste!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11407','cynth'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11407','cynth','I thought of Ents after reading the Mary Oliver piece. Remember them from Lord of the Rings? Trees always seemed slowly alive to me. Like they didn\'t mind the seasons and the rain and the birds. They are like old men waiting out their days. Hope you are feeling better and you get to have a Thanksgiving dinner you can taste!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I thought of Ents after reading the Mary Oliver piece. Remember them from Lord of the Rings? Trees always seemed slowly alive to me. Like they didn’t mind the seasons and the rain and the birds. They are like old men waiting out their days. Hope you are feeling better and you get to have a Thanksgiving dinner you can taste!
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]]> By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11340 John Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:30:12 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11340 <strong>Darc:</strong> I hope what you're feeling is the "shortly" part, and not the interminable wait. Had a nice Thanksgiving, thanks, and I trust you did too? <strong>Jules:</strong> "Mighty organized," she says. This is one advantage to throwing enough random handfuls of free association at the wall: the human eye imagines that it sees a bunch of dots connectable somehow. Which, true, they sometimes are. :) <strong>Squirrel:</strong> Mary Oliver would be a main contender for the title of <em>RAMH</em> Poet Laureate, if there were such a title. She'd probably have to wrestle William Stafford, though -- maybe two falls out of three. And I had the same response to that paradox. In fact I found myself looking differently at the trees off the back deck this morning, wondering which of them might be yearning most intently for an extra little bit of autumn light. Very weird reCaptcha, for those collecting such things: <em>android B-N5</em>. Presumably a model number. <em>[Update, a moment later: Nah. "B-N5" seems to be just a chess move. Once again, the beautiful symmetry of fantasy falls before the forces of the real world.]</em><div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11340','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11340','John','<strong>Darc:<\/strong> I hope what you\'re feeling is the \"shortly\" part, and not the interminable wait.\r\n\r\nHad a nice Thanksgiving, thanks, and I trust you did too?\r\n\r\n<strong>Jules:<\/strong> \"Mighty organized,\" she says. This is one advantage to throwing enough random handfuls of free association at the wall: the human eye imagines that it sees a bunch of dots connectable somehow. Which, true, they sometimes are. :)\r\n\r\n<strong>Squirrel:<\/strong> Mary Oliver would be a main contender for the title of <em>RAMH<\/em> Poet Laureate, if there were such a title. She\'d probably have to wrestle William Stafford, though -- maybe two falls out of three.\r\n\r\nAnd I had the same response to that paradox. In fact I found myself looking differently at the trees off the back deck this morning, wondering which of them might be yearning most intently for an extra little bit of autumn light.\r\n\r\nVery weird reCaptcha, for those collecting such things: <em>android B-N5<\/em>. Presumably a model number.\r\n\r\n<em>[Update, a moment later: Nah. \"B-N5\" seems to be just a chess move. Once again, the beautiful symmetry of fantasy falls before the forces of the real world.]<\/em>'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Darc: I hope what you’re feeling is the “shortly” part, and not the interminable wait.

Had a nice Thanksgiving, thanks, and I trust you did too?

Jules: “Mighty organized,” she says. This is one advantage to throwing enough random handfuls of free association at the wall: the human eye imagines that it sees a bunch of dots connectable somehow. Which, true, they sometimes are. :)

Squirrel: Mary Oliver would be a main contender for the title of RAMH Poet Laureate, if there were such a title. She’d probably have to wrestle William Stafford, though — maybe two falls out of three.

And I had the same response to that paradox. In fact I found myself looking differently at the trees off the back deck this morning, wondering which of them might be yearning most intently for an extra little bit of autumn light.

Very weird reCaptcha, for those collecting such things: android B-N5. Presumably a model number.

[Update, a moment later: Nah. "B-N5" seems to be just a chess move. Once again, the beautiful symmetry of fantasy falls before the forces of the real world.]

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]]> By: The Querulous Squirrel http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11329 The Querulous Squirrel Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:42:34 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11329 I love the paradox of the Mary Oliver poem surely you can't imagine like telling someone don't think of a white elephant and of course you then vividly think of one. And I love the vividness of Don Max and his gestures under the moon.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11329','The Querulous Squirrel'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11329','The Querulous Squirrel','I love the paradox of the Mary Oliver poem surely you can\'t imagine like telling someone don\'t think of a white elephant and of course you then vividly think of one. And I love the vividness of Don Max and his gestures under the moon.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I love the paradox of the Mary Oliver poem surely you can’t imagine like telling someone don’t think of a white elephant and of course you then vividly think of one. And I love the vividness of Don Max and his gestures under the moon.
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]]> By: Jules http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11322 Jules Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:56:03 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11322 Your slapdash is still always mighty organized. Very funny Feist song. I've never seen that. And lovely Mary Oliver piece. Hope the cold departs soon.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11322','Jules'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11322','Jules','Your slapdash is still always mighty organized. \r\n\r\nVery funny Feist song. I\'ve never seen that. And lovely Mary Oliver piece. \r\n\r\nHope the cold departs soon.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Your slapdash is still always mighty organized.

Very funny Feist song. I’ve never seen that. And lovely Mary Oliver piece.

Hope the cold departs soon.

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]]> By: DarcKnyt http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2009/11/loitering-in-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-11307 DarcKnyt Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:05:28 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=6151#comment-11307 I'm feelin' that "Angel will be with you shortly" thing. Big time. :) Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('11307','DarcKnyt'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('11307','DarcKnyt','I\'m feelin\' that \"Angel will be with you shortly\" thing. Big time. :)\r\n\r\nHope you had a great Thanksgiving.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I’m feelin’ that “Angel will be with you shortly” thing. Big time. :)

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

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