Category Archives: flourishing tree

Beware the Tree of Death

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My husband ran a trail marathon at our local state park this past weekend, and I went out to cheer him – and the other runners – on. The marathon organizers had put mile markers out, as well as other signs of encouragement or warning. The one I saw as I was walking back to the finish line said, “Welcome to Cemetery Hill.” You might think that’s a discouraging sign or a word of warning, but it’s the last big climb before the finish, and an old family cemetery sits at the top of the hill.

After the race, Chris and I were talking about the signs, and he mentioned one that has really stuck with me: “Beware the Tree of Death.” Now, before all you Harry Potter fans head out to the park and start searching for the real, live Whomping Willow tree, let me explain.  Continue reading →

You can’t do this with your e-reader!

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As promised, I’m continuing this week’s discussion about paper and my love of it, especially when it’s bound together with other paper to form a book. A friend posted an intriguing link to Facebook earlier this week, showing some of the artwork of Brian Dettmer, a book “surgeon.” And I was instantly entranced!

“Webster Two Point Oh” by Brian Dettmer

Eugene’s Blog beautifully highlights these works, and another blogger followed up yesterday with an interview with the surgeon/artist himself – showcasing more of his work. Dettmer takes books (and other media) and carves them into intricate sculptures. You can see a gallery of images at Dettmer’s site, his flickr pages, or the blogs. It’s definitely worth taking time to browse through them.

Looking through his artwork reminded me of a discussion I first had several years ago in a class in grad school (a debate played out over and over in the media). E-readers were a newly-emerging technology at the time, and our professor wanted to know whether we thought printed books would die out because of the new readers. I’m an unapologetic bibliophile, and so the thought of books all converting to electronic form made me panicky then, and still causes a little flutter of concern in me today.  Continue reading →

Words on doors?

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“You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart … You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:5-6, 9

Writing on your doorposts
A few weekends ago when my husband and I were in the mountains, we strolled through a little art gallery, and there I saw a stunning mezuzah case. Mezuzot came about to fulfill the requirement in Deuteronomy 6 to write God’s words on a house’s doorposts, and as you might imagine, there are lots of rules about who writes the parchment and where the mezuzah goes. And while the words on the parchment are the truly important part, mezuzah cases come in many different shapes, sizes and styles.

Not being Jewish, I passed up the mezuzah case at the gallery, but I haven’t stopped thinking about that beautiful little case and what it will someday contain. I also keep wondering what words my friends and family might say I would be most likely to write on my doorposts.

There’s a growing trend in home decorating to put up words as art on your walls. You can even stop by your local Target and pick up some stick-on words that’ll go up with ease: big, small, curly or simple, whatever suits your decor. But what words would you choose to put on your doorposts, especially the front door where your friends, family, guests, and even a stray salesman can see? I’m talking about the words that you live by.

What are the words that truly represent what’s most important to you? Now: where will you write them?  Continue reading →

The miracle tree

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Was the weather absolutely gorgeous where you were this past weekend? It was here, and my thoughts turned once again to the plans I have for our yard and gardens. I’m still trying to figure out where a fig tree could fit into all of this, but I’m not sure there’s room for it. Even one fig tree would take up a lot of room.

The warm promise of spring just around the corner always exhilarates me, and I find myself thumbing through gardening catalogs and driving to my local favorite nursery to wander through rows of trees, shrubs and flowers while I plan and dream and re-plan and dream some more.

Every year, spring seems like such a miracle to me, and I’m always thrilled to see what decides to grace our garden again each year.

Speaking of miracles, did you know there’s a real miracle tree? It’s called the Moringa tree. Although it’s a native to the Himalayas, it grows in a range of climates and can truly save lives. The Moringa tree bears fruit and its leaves can be brewed into a tea or ground into a powder to be added to food. The fruit and leaves contain a surprising range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and – get this – every amino acid humans need (Source).  Continue reading →

A replenishing place

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Hi, Friends,

Do you have a place where you go to renew your spirit or rejuvenate physically and mentally? For my husband and me, that place is the NC mountains. Even this time of year, when there’s still snow and ice on the ground – not to mention salt and sand on the roads – we love being there. How I feel when we’re there and when we’ve just come back is like the tree in this verse from Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord … For he will be like a tree
planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear
when the heat comes.
– Jeremiah 17:7-8

Now, you may find it strange to have a verse about the heat in the middle of February, but I’ll tell you, my garden already knows that the heat is on its way. Two little crocuses have poked their heads up in my garden here at home, and when we were in the mountains over the weekend, I noticed that there are some bulbs there already eagerly forcing their way up through the thawing earth.

Continue reading →