Tree Saplings and "Stuff"

I once read that an optimist is "someone who plants small trees when he is old".  Well, yes I am and I did.

I MAY see these 4 trees grow and bloom and I MAY not.  That makes little difference to me.  I just like to DO THINGS that suggest the future.  I sometimes think of the future without me alive in it.  It takes some thought...  But I can picture the yard with newly-planted saplings at least grown to blooming age.

I planted 2 Sourwoods and 2 Korean Dogwoods.  The Sourwoods have a bad-sounding name, but where they grow, they are gorgeous.  Burgundy leaves and bunches of gold seeds in the Fall.


The Dogwoods are great in the Spring and the Korean dogwood doesn't suffer the disease that is infecting American dogwoods.  So I hope to see Spring and Fall colors.  It may take some time for them to grow to full color in their seasons.


One day, this property will not be mine.   I'll be gone in some way or another.  But I have a vision of the yard.  I should have striven for that idea years before, but you do what you can as you can and not look back TOO much.

My personal vision of the yard involves perennial flowers, some spots where there are mostly self-sowing flowers, and some places where are specific plants to help the hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees thrive.  And that is aside from the thistle seed feeders for the goldfinches and the sunflower seed feeder for the cardinals and purple finches et al.

It may seem odd that I dislike Robins, but they eat my earthworms and I kind of resent that.  But they need their food too, so I leave the lawn-clippings on the surface for the earthworms to eat as best they can.  Nature balances when you let it.  If I didn't have healthy soil, I wouldn't have earthworms, and if I did't have earthworms, the Robins wouldn't be marching across the lawn finding the least careful worms.

I do sort of wish the Robins hunted voles though...  I would love the Robins better then, LOL!

The best thing is that I'm 68 and I still have PLANS!  LOL...  The day I don't think about "next year" is the day they haul me away.    I think the best way to stay sane while aging is to imagine "next year".  New flowers, new tomatoes, etc...