Our Environmental Language (12/3/2019)

I was reading an article by Dipesh Chakrabarty about earth ethics and spirituality in relation to the thinking about our world and the environmental crisis. Mr. Chakrabarty discusses among others the philosopher Martin Heidegger. In the essay he describes how Heidegger, as I understand it, differentiates between the words planet and earth. I am probably getting it completely wrong, but to me it seems like Chakrabarty and Heidegger see word planet or global more as hands off while the word earth is anthropomorphizing this world we are living on; making it more our own. Whether true or not, I like this notion and it got me thinking. 

Maybe we need to step away from the terms global warming and climate change since they do not seem to impact us directly. There are still too many people who do not seem to give a crap about the environmental collapse that is predicted in our future; the sixth extinction. Maybe our approach has been the incorrect approach all along calling it global or world or even climate. Are they to esoteric; maybe we need to incorporate the word earth in the term and weather or extremes? 

While difficult to digest at times, Mr. Chakrabarty’s essay had another (to me) noteworthy passage in it where he discussed Ludwig Wittgenstein. It seems that Wittgenstein mentioned in his book “On Certainty” that we question about buildings how old they are, but we never ask that about the mountains behind those buildings on the earth they have been constructed on. In other words, here again we have lost that relationship with (or focus on) the earth. But in essence, what is more valuable, the buildings themselves or the mountains or the earth those buildings are constructed on? It reminds me of the Buddhist statues in Bamiyan Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban. While they were old and valuable, many of the Buddhist scholars reacted to destruction with “nothing is permanent.” At least nothing man-made. Boy, you should have seen that lady’s reaction when her son hit our mailbox a few months ago and destroyed it completely and instead of getting mad, I burst out laughing. When she wondered why I wasn’t mad I told her just that: “well, nothing is permanent” and this is a good teaching moment to her son and actually her whole family. 

Nothing is permanent.  A few months ago, our maibox was taken out by a boy driving his truck.  He was supposedly adjusting his seat and lost control.  He swore to his mother he was not texting.  I died laughing when I saw this and his mother and he could not understand why I was not pissed (actually neither could I).  However, it defused the situation and it all came out fine!

What I am writing here is in no way original thinking; however, Mr. Chakrabarty’s essay was published in the Divinity magazine published by Harvard University. He did not really go into this idea of relabeling what we call global warming or climate change; however, he wants to approach it from a spiritual angle. That is fine with me as well. However, having lived through a political climate where politicians are masters of relabeling their opponent or calling them names, I feel this may be our only choice in saving our earth. 

I am not yet sure what I am proposing. All I know is that what we construct, build, or make is not permanent. Even the pyramids in Egypt are slowly deteriorating. However, the earth will keep rotating around the sun, just like our neighbors Mars and Venus with or without us. Wouldn’t it be nice if it did it with our children or our children’s children actually living on it?  Unlike that Mars and Venus which still appear lifeless, although scientists still think they may have harbored life in the past?

By the way, talking with my brother-in-law, who actually is a Heidegger expert (he wrote a couple of books about Heidegger) over our Thanksgiving meal.  It seems that Heidegger predicted some form of environmental catastrophe or collapse. Regretfully, my brother-in-law did not go into any detail, except to say that Heidegger did not envisage a rosy outcome. Finally, Heidegger wrote a book on language; well, maybe it is time to look at our use of language as I mention in this post and re-brand our environmental language!

Climate change alarm bells are going off (11/27/2019)

It was again in the newspaper today, we are experiencing a climate change crises, or better a global warming crises.  The United Nations issued their report on Tuesday November 26, it seems, which tells us that during the past decade the global average temperature has already risen 1 degree Celsius or for us non metric stone-age folks 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.  Moreover in the age of Trump the CO2 emissions in the USA last year have increased 2.7%.  This seems to be a reversal from what we were trying to do under the Obama administration of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  This alone should be reason for impeachment, if not by us, at least by our children or by the unborn children he is trying to protect to gain brownie points with the religious crowd.  But is seems, they be damned once they are born.

My wife and I were discussing whether it would behoove us to eat more vegetarian.  But then I was thinking, living here in Virginia would it be better for the environment to eat tofu produced in California or chicken and pork slaughtered here in Virginia?  Yes, those animals eat plant based food and produce a lot of waste.  However, the transportation cost from farm to my dinner plate surely must be less and thus the energy to transport them.  This is an interesting debate to have with yourself and to question with everything you do.  I really think we have to live more purposefully; make decisions in our every day life, with the environmental end in mind; and be concerned about leaving a livable planet for future generations.

A colleague of mine bought a large property with a home on it that might not be the mansion that many of us would want to live in.  It is a simple home; however, like her handle on Instagram which includes the word "homesteader", she and her husband decided to make is a homestead and try to become independent to some extent.  The first year they were there, they raised chickens for the slaughter, planted a garden, which did not do very well (the soil was to heavy), planted an orchard, all the fish in their pond died, but they had fun trying to find solutions and at least make a start.  I really think this may be a way of fighting the global climate change crisis, grow things locally and if you grow enough, maybe you can sell some of it at a farmer's market or barter.  She chronicled it all on Instagram.  Granted she is not there yet.  A lady down the street seems to want to do the same on her half acre lot.

I myself, what am I doing?  Our yard is wooded, and our vegetable garden is somewhat of a failure since it is mostly in the shade and we are still working stiffs.  I promised myself that I would revive it when I retire.  We try to heat with wood whenever we can, don't use fertilizer or pesticides.  For the rest we do eat vegetarian one or two days a week (no tofu form California though).  I bake my own honest bread.  Can we do better in battling global warming?  I am sure we can.  I would love to put solar cells on our roof; however that would mean cutting trees, which would raise the internal temperature in the house in summer (more air conditioning?).  On top of that, mature trees take out more CO2 out of the air than lawns or smaller trees or young trees.  It is all a question of alternatives.

I just love the profile of this tree on Yorktown Beach.  Again, trees are very productive in removing CO2 and other pollutants from the air. 

But again folks, we need to be aware of what is going on.  We are so close to that point of no return.  The UN says global emissions need to fall by 7.6% starting in 2020 to meet the Paris climate accord.  And then to see we increased it by more than 2.5% last year.  Let's resolve to live purposefully and as I mentioned in one of my posts, "Plant a tree" and consider climate change in our every day decisions, from eating to sleeping.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Those stupid trees (11/21/2019)

It has been blowing like crazy this past weekend. There is a coastal storm offshore, and it is whipping up the wind to occasional speeds of 50 miles per hour or for you metric folks close to 80 km per hour. We could hear it howl around the house. Since it is mid-November there are a lot of fall leaves on the ground and they are blowing all over the place. It is interesting to see how we had a ridge of leaves at the leeward side of my car. When we left to go to a social at church in the morning it was there, when we came back it was gone, blown away. However, three hours later in the afternoon the ridge had returned.

Since it is mid-November, you think it would be an opportune time for all the deciduous trees to release their leaves with such a strong wind like this and set them free. But no, or better hell no. It is like they did not realize that in two weeks from now they will be doing this anyway, so why not now? Usually, at least all the past 19 years that I lived here; the trees have lost all their leaves by the end of November, if not the first week of December. We already had a good (early) frost, which also seems to be a signal to many of these trees that it is time. But hell no! They are not letting go. If they would drop the leaves, at least then all those leaves would fly to my neighbor and I would not have to deal with them. My neighbor on the side where the wind comes from does not have any trees, so I would be safe from that side. But now it means that I will have to deal with them after Thanksgiving. 

We have a lot of trees in our neighborhood. In the past I have written and complained how the folks in my subdivision build whole fortifications of leaves along the road <here>. They bag their leaves and then stack them three bags high along the road, somewhat in a display of “I can stack them higher than you” or “I can hide my house better than you.” These folks are mining nutrients out of their soil and sending to the landfill. Instead, they should be composting the leaves or at least grinding them up with a mulching mower. Moreover, I have also mentioned in my blog that last year in December we were out in our back yard at night with our headlights admiring all the small moving lights in the fallen leaves. It appeared these lights were reflections of our headlights in the eyes of minute spiders, it was absolutely magical. There seems to be so much life in those dead fallen leaves and that explains why all those birds in my back-yard hunt through them. Then to think that my neighbors haul them off to the dump. On the other hand, one of the advantages of all the piling along the road is that my male dog has something new to mark when we go for our daily walks. 

So, what is the possible reason for the trees to hold on to the leaves through this storm? One reason I think is our dry September and October; we did not have any rain for six weeks. Based on the ephemeral ponds behind our home, the groundwater levels are still very low; I would say at least 6 feet or more deep, while sometimes by now, it should be just a foot or two below the ground surface. Would it be that the drought we experienced caused this unusually late season? Is it caused by global warning? I don’t know, but all I know or remember from what I learned is that in some species the change in colors and leaf drop is caused by the change in day length or better night length. Here I am thinking about maples which usually start changing color by the end of September when the day and night length are equal. One thing we have noticed is that one of the maples in our yard that we have a love hate relationship with is finally coloring. This is almost a month later than normal. Our love of the tree is its bright yellow color in fall. Our hate for the tree is the sheer size, the fact that is seems to push out other plants and that it appears to lean in a direction that concerns us somewhat. In other words, we are watching it like a hawk. This tree is supposed to be empty by now, but no it is not. So, what the heck? 

Our maple is finally yellow.  As I mention it is approximately one month later than normal and I can only speculate that climate change and the drought this fall has something to do with it.

All that I can think is that nature this fall is all screwed up, and if you ask me this may be a sign of things to come. In this post, I will not explain how nature is supposed to act. However, nature does seem to be somewhat out of whack. I really wonder where things are going to end up, but I expect it is not going to be pretty. One thing I know, those darn trees are telling us something: climate change is accelerating, and I am not sure if we can turn it back.

Roots 3 (11/1/2019)

As most of you know, I make a feeble attempt to grow bonsai. I have been trying to do this (or faking to do this) for the past 30 years or so, and I feel I have not much to show for. A few of my trees may be getting there, but I still feel lost at times. One way to get learn more about it in the past was magazines and books. Nowadays, it is YouTube to the rescue.

As I mentioned before, one of my favorite YouTube channels is the “Bonsai Zone”, which is put on by the Canadian Nigel Saunders. Nigel has come a long way over the long years; however, I have one complaint. His videos are very long and tedious at times. Nigel literally tries to show you every step in the development of a specific tree that he is working on that specific day and the videos may run longer than an hour or more, which he thankfully cuts up in parts. I understand from a podcast that I follow, that YouTube encourages long videos on their most watched channels, and yes, I will keep watching Nigel. He is absolutely great. Currently I would not be able to do any better, although me wife keeps suggesting that we start a channel as well (The Naturalist Zone?). She proposes that she would handle the camera. My wife is a fanatic knitter (sometimes to my benefit) and she watches YouTube knitting channels. One of these channels (Fruity Knitting) even captured my attention because of the way they produce their program. They knit on their project, but they intersperse it with interviews of other knitters, go to shows, visit farms or regions, you know it.  It is full of documentaries and interviews while they also knit and give trick and how-to advise.

However, I really like the Bonsai Zone by Nigel. One thing Nigel emphasizes in his shows is the development of a good spreading root system before you concentrate on anything else. Nigel will actually take his viewers on walks to the park and the neighborhood to look at the roots and spread of or real trees. This has made me really conscious of the roots of my bonsais and of the trees I see growing around me during my walks.

I mentioned in my previous post that recently we spent a weekend in Westmoreland State Park. In addition to hiking in that park, we went for a walk in Caledon State Park, which is down the street. During these walks, I could not resist taking pictures of roots while thinking of Nigel’s message. What amazed me was that the American beech had what looked like the best or maybe the most obvious root development. 

I saw this beech in Caledon State Park and was duly impressed by its beautifully spreading root system.  These roots will feed a healthy tree and keep it thriving for a long time.

The roots of this beech growing in Westmoreland State Park are somewhat one sided; However, this tree was on a deep slope and the other side was less visible.

Another healthy root system on this beech.  This one is growing in Westmoreland State Park.

I actually found an oak with a beautiful root system at Caledon State Park.  Not that oaks don't have them, but this one was obvious and it was nicely above ground.

Now, this red maple had the strangest root.  It looked like a bulbous root where the small trunk came off.  I wonder if it was grazed or cut before.  Just very strange. 

I have written a number of posts on roots, ranging from our personal roots <here> to the roots of plants <here>. There are three more posts on roots and my bonsais, just look at the label section on the right and click on roots.

I also teach (preach) about the importance of roots in my workshops. In my soil workshop, I mention how the bulk density of soil will affect root growth. Bulk density is an indication of how tightly the soil particles are packed together and the tighter they are, the more difficult it is for the roots to push through the soil. A lot of traffic over the soil (like construction traffic, vehicles or simply foot traffic) will increase the bulk density and will make it difficult for plants to grow. In my soil amendment workshop, I tell folks how plant roots actually take up nutrients; while in my plant workshop, I speak about the symbiotic relationship between plant (roots) and mycorrhizae. 

You get the idea, roots are very important.  Furthermore, I tell my students that for the vegetation it is also “You are what you eat”; that the vegetation you see growing is a reflection of the soil, and that it all starts with a healthy root system. This is important in nature as well as in my bonsais.

Westmoreland State Park (10/28/2019)

This weekend I spent some time in a cabin in the woods at Westmoreland State Park in the Northern Neck of Virginia. It is one of the state parks we visit fairly frequently for a weekend in the off season, to get away from it all and relax. As we sometimes do, this year we were sharing our accommodations with Betsy, a high school friend of my wife, someone we have been friends with for more than 40 years.

It is just nice to be away from home and be out in the woods, sitting on the porch of this small cabin in the woods that supposedly was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps sometime between 1933 and 1942. There are newer cabins in this row, but it is nice to be in an historic one like this. It surely is cramped and somewhat primitive (or read not well stocked), but so be it. I live in motel rooms for luxury.

This morning we had a big storm roll through and right now it is sunny and somewhat windy. The temperatures are unseasonably warm for this time of year, but so be it. We are living in the years of global warming, and we will just need to learn to live with it.

Why am I not out there, strolling through the woods? We brought Jake, our old dog with us, and probably because of all the driving and excitement his tummy is somewhat upset. Since the girls are such old friends (50 years and counting), I have no problem “dog sitting” while they have fun and are out visiting a winery or two. I have been reading my Kindle and just breathing in the nice mild air sitting on a rocking chair here on the front porch. I may go for a brief walk while Jake is sleeping. 

A great walk after the rains were done.  It was unseasonably warm of the 27th of October.  I was in shorts and t-shirt.

Westmoreland State Park is on the Potomac River. It is sandwiched between the birthplaces of George Washington and Stratford Hall, the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee. We have visited Stratford Hall; it is surprisingly non-confederate and they do not push the civil war there at all. It is really worth a visit. The park itself has some great trails and the bluffs are full of fossil shark teeth that are there for the picking. 

Fossil Beach at Westmoreland State Park.  This is a very picturesque area with a large wetland to the right.

What was the Civilian Conservation Corp that built the cabin that we stayed in this time? During the depression, President Roosevelt established the Corps to get the unemployed off the street and back to work. These young men were put to work for the good of humanity or the country by doing public works projects mostly to protect and develop natural resources including the development of state parks, building reservoirs and other public projects. Westmoreland State Park was established during that period and I am not sure if these were worker’s cabins or meant to be used for recreation. However, now they are.

As some of you know or could conclude from a recent post, I am currently reading some of Wendell Berry’s work. His latest work was a little rough, and I will get back to it, but I am reading his collection of essays “What are People for?” I hit an interesting quote that he has of Wallace Stenger, a writer, naturalist and birder who I had never hear off. Mr. Stenger was a professor at Stanford University, and wrote that thought “thrives best in solitude, in quiet, and in the company of the past, the great community of recorded human experience.” This is the reason why I do not mind sitting on this rocking chair being left alone to think, read and to record my experience. Mr. Berry goes on and writes that the recorded experience does not need the Pantheon of Great Writers, but that it includes us all rather than the “Harvard Five-Foot Shelf.”

As I mentioned in my post entitled “Remember Nature” recording my opinions, feelings and experiences as described by Mr. Berry has been the intention of my blog posts all along. In my blogs I try to record what I see, write down my feelings and opinions, part with some of my education and experiences, show some of my photographs, and maybe even have some fun as well. My writings will never win awards or be included on that shelf, and that is okay; I just hope that some folks read it and are entertained and maybe learn something from my musings.  And so, I hope that you enjoyed this post.