Plant a tree for your tomorrow

Today is not just any Friday. It is the last Friday of April, which means, of course, that it is National Arbor Day. In protest of the fact that most people don't get the three-day weekend that they deserve in observance of this holiday, I urge you all to call in sick today, or if you're already at work, fake an illness. A few dramatic trips to the restroom with feigned but convincing urgency should do the trick. 

As you know, I don't work on Fridays. It is one of my several days off. But, in solidarity with you, my comrades, I am refusing to do anything useful today (blogging doesn't count as anything useful). National Arbor Day isn't really about sticking it to the man, however. It's about trees, particularly planting more trees. I know this thanks to the unforgettably awful John Denver (R.I.P.) Arbor Day public service announcement song from my childhood:

In honor of the day, I am dedicating this post to the unsung heroes of the gardening world, The Trees.

Red oaks are, in fact, green (this time of year).

This happy little guy is a red oak that we planted our first spring in the house four years ago. Now, I am cheap. If I can avoid paying for something, I will, and that includes overpriced nursery-grown trees. This tree came from Trav's Granny and Grandpa Petter in Waco. A squirrel, not one of the worthless, mooching squirrels of Austin obviously, forgot its horded acorn in a flower pot over the winter and Granny and Grandpa let the tree grow. They passed it on to us when it was about two feet high and we planted it in the front yard. It's grown a lot in the past couple of years and it's about six feet tall now. As a red oak, it has really spectacular fall foliage, not something you can say about a lot of native trees around here.

Wendy's olive tree with Patrick and Juanita

Another tree worth mentioning was also free. Last time my mom visited us in Austin, we came across a man, among other interesting things, on South Congress selling olive trees as we were walking off a few Sunday brunch margaritas from Gueros. Mom, knowing how much I enjoy troubling myself trying to keep plants alive, insisted that we have one. It's grown a good foot or so since we got it last fall and, although it hasn't produced any fruit yet, it did actually bloom a little bit earlier this spring. We may actually get some olives from it next year. 

Feel free to ignore the metal water tank in the background of this picture. Patrick does. We it set up for him thinking he would enjoy a little space to swim but he's never been in it. When our water lilies bloom this summer maybe I'll discuss it in more detail.

Last but not least, I'll show our backyard "cedar" tree. I say "cedar" because that's what everyone around here calls them even though they are not cedars. They are junipers. Junipers have a bad rap because they are not native to the Texas Hill Country, where they are everywhere, so I guess, technically they're invasive. I think they're pretty and, more importantly, you can't have gin without juniper so let's all cut them a little slack.

The windchimes and haphazardly strung Christmas lights help to offset the garish showiness of nature.