Fun Amongst The Oaks

I'm telling you, it's nothing but fun here Amongst The Oaks. Friday night whilst eating dinner, we heard an ominous ripping sound and looked out the kitchen window just in time to see a large branch falling from our neighbor's oak tree. It landed in our driveway with a crunch and a thud as we stared at each other wide eyed. We ran out to discover that it had glanced off their roof and the fence, bounced off Teen2's window sill and wall, and luckily caused little damage. But it was almost dark and too late to do anything about it.

Saturday morning I got out there with loppers and a pruning saw and started to clean up the mess. The Lord of the Manor had shoulder surgery not long ago and isn't really supposed to do heavy work yet. We don't have a chain saw at home and we couldn't get out of the driveway because of the mess, so what else could we do?

So I worked and worked with my little saw, and we ended up with all this fire wood. We can use it to cook chickens next summer. And if you believe that....well...you shouldn't! Actually we dragged the two largest logs back to the patio and the Lord of the Manor drove down to the shop and got a power saw to cut them up.

Here's the damage. This dent on the window sill and some scrapes on the wall.
And this cracked area on the stucco down by the foundation.
And here's the stub left on the tree. The branch was about 9" across. These valley oaks sometimes drop limbs in the fall when they are heavy with acorns, or in the summer if they are over-watered, but we've never seen one fall in May on an un-irrigated tree. I hope this is a fluke.

Well that's all the crazy news from here *literally* Amongst The Oaks.

Love is in the Air

I know Mary is tired of hearing about this, but I just couldn't resist.

Yesterday morning I saw these hawks in the tree in the middle of the street. The early morning sun was just beginning to hit the top of the tree and making them glow so I ran and got my camera. They seemed to be basking in the warmth of the sun, just watching the day come alive.

Since this tree is only 200 yards from the school, I think they are the same birds I saw there.

Whilst snapping away, one of them swooped down onto the other one with amorous intentions. It all happened so fast I just got one blurry photo, and now I feel like a sleazy paparazzi. Shame on me.

Now, should I show you what the squirrels were doing? Naw, that would probably push Mary right over the edge. But it does seem that love is in the air here Amongst The Oaks.

Ode to a Tree

I think that I shall never see
A sight as welcoming as this tree

Which tells me I am finally home
However near or far I roam.



This tree whose gnarled branches soar
Above our foolish human roar
Once crowned a meadow grassy green
Now only asphalt can be seen.



Yet powerful still this tree remains,
It pulls me back from distant lanes
Patiently like a trusted friend
Guiding my journey to its end.




Whether an hour, a week, a day
From 'neath its leafy boughs I stray,
It's always waiting there for me
Whispering, "Home at last, I see".


~ penned by Laura Amongst The Oaks

Quercus lobata

Bang! Thwack! Boing! It's that time of year again. Fall. But we don't have leaves gently floating to the ground, we have ACORNS raining down like hail. And we have a bumper crop this year. We're almost afraid to stay outdoors right now what with the constant barrage. And they're not light little things either. I'm reminded of good ole Henny Penny thinking the sky was falling. If one of them hit me, I'd probably think that too.

Botanically speaking we live amongst Valley Oaks, Quercus lobata, the king of the white oaks. They once blanketed the whole Central Valley of California; but then came the farmers and then came the developers and whole groves were decimated. Now, thankfully, there are laws to protect them. When our neighborhood was developed over 50 years ago, they kept as many oaks as possible, even an old giant in the middle of the street. And as a result, our neighborhood is like a little oasis of green in the city. I love these old trees, but there are a few months of the year when the conditions are less than pleasant. October is one of them. But the acorns will be done falling soon and we can go back to basking in the serenity of living Amongst the Oaks.