[1]Taken by Shai Gluskin July 7, 2008 in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA.
About ten years ago we planted a linden tree [2] (its trunk is shown up close in the photo) to replace a dead oak. Actually, two trees replaced the dead oak. The oak grew right on the property line. Our neighbors Curt Senie (since deceased) and Penny Venet shared the cost of removing the maple. We decided we'd take the opportunity to increase the number of trees on our block by replacing it with two, one on our property and one on his.
The first tree we planted died in the first year. This linden was our second try and has been a great success. The trunk is now about 10 inches in diameter. I like the "etchings" on the bark. I like the shadow created by the tree and how it accentuates the six p.m. summer light/shadow.
There's that story in Talmud about planting a carob tree that will only bear fruit in 70 years, long after the planter is gone. What is the motivation for the planter? Someone now deceased had planted trees for him. He's returning the favor.
Planting this linden required less patience, though certainly some. And just like parenting, there are gratifications at every step in the development. My ten-year old son already hangs off its branches. Our Dog Boaz urinates on it. I lean on it and take photos of it.
But even without these interactions, or especially without these interactions, this linden is growing, leafing, dropping its leaves, budding -- and generally taking its place in the neighborhood, all on its own.
I'm sure Curt would be pleased to know of the success of this linden and the maple that he planted.
What a beautiful post. I love how it comes back to your deceased neighbor in the end.
Your "Planting this linden required" paragraph is one of the best I've read anywhere in a long time -- strong and subtle, funny and inspirational.
I love the idea of a planting of ours finding its way in the world, "taking its place in the neighborhood," as you put it so well. That kind of cracks me up, too.
One of the things I missed from an overemphasis on the New Testament at the expense of the Hebrew Scriptures is the latter's emphasis on generational continuity. There are hints of it in the New Testament, but its books are oriented generally for those "upon whom the end of the ages has come," to use Paul's expression.
Thanks Peter. Your praise may tend to hyperbole, but I'll take it.
Hmmm, interesting connection to the idea of continuity. Which makes me think of the role of the sidewalk in the image. It provides the continuity turns houses into a neighborhood.
That sidewalk, though empty in the pic, is very well trafficked, as our house is just a block away from the Weaver's Way Coop, a beloved communal institution and fantastic grocery.
Also in the image is Pam's garden which has been the "target" of a bunch of my photos lately. Pam's efforts feel like a gift to everyone, though I believe she does it for her own satisfaction.
... all of this being a riff on your mentioning "continuity" -- there is indeed so much that connects us.
Wow. A successful coop. Our neighborhood was designed around a neighborhood-sized convenience store, built to look like the neo-traditional homes that were to surround it. It failed almost immediately. We like the looks of community around here, but community itself is another matter.
By the way (again), you might consider this post for the Festival of the Trees [8].
By the way, nice photo. I really like the shadow on the tree. I love the contrast between the detailed and recessed left side with the comparatively stylized right half. It's like those pictures of a looming earth taken from space (your tree as the earth), its shadowed part leading to the stars in the distance.
There was another photo almost exactly the same in the set. However, in that image there was more depth-of-field, the garden was sharper.
Consistent with your "stars in the distance" image, I think the sharper tree and the softer focus garden is, indeed, more interesting.