Monday, February 28, 2011

Wooden You Know It

















If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.
Henry David Thoreau

We don't live in the woods, and yet there are woods everywhere here. This is because everywhere we go, there is firewood for sale, and trees cut down and in pieces. Really, on just about every block. A lot of people here have wood burning stoves, even our next door neighbor. I have never seen so much wood in any year I have been alive, and that's plenty of years! My header is a photo I snapped from a book. It is a section of recently living mahogany, magnified 400 times with a light microscope. What you see are the bundles of tubular cells that carry the nutrients from the soil to the tree. It is the trees vascular system. Did you know that not all wood floats? Many of the heavier kinds do not. There are over thirty different kinds of trees mentioned in the bible, and God talks about seven at once in Isaiah. The tree with the worlds greatest recorded root depth? A fig tree in South Africa. One of it's roots goes down over 390 feet. Somehow, this doesn't surprise me.


"I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, and fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 41:19,20

35 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

You know Ginny - it doesn't surprise me either - what does surprise me is how some people don't believe.

Our minister said that soon there will be 7 billion people on earth - and no one has the same finger print!

Praise be to God.

Love your blog,
sandie♥

George said...

I wouldn't mind having some of that firewood you've pictured. The mahogany wood in your header is fascinating. The thought of a root going down 390 blows my mind.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Ginny, Oh how I love my wood-burning fireplace... I would NEVER buy a home these days without one. That is tops on my list of what I want in a home....

I did not know about the fig tree roots.... Woooooo--that's awesome...

God Bless.
Hugs,
Betsy

Dawning Inspiration said...

Hey - great info on the fig tree... will be sharing with my Mom, too!

Regina said...

Thats a fig not a ficus right..the one that goes down 390 ft.? My husband is watching the vascular system of a pig rght now (not as soothing before bed)! My brother was a tree trimmer here and in Oahu in the mid 80's. He made tables with them. I find it pretty fascinating, especially the biblical significance- enjoyed the info:)

SquirrelQueen said...

We have a wood stove insert in our fireplace and it is wonderful on a cold winter's day. If the electricity goes out this will keep the house nice and cozy. I wouldn't mind having some of that wood.

I love your header shot, it is interesting to see the microscopic view.

We almost got some of your wind today but the highest recorded gust was only 58mph. There was only minor damage around town.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Our principal assembled all 660 students and teachers under our big tree. It was in the mid of our lunch hour. The weather was hot, most of the kids were in the sun. The kids all came early. We were waiting, when a neighbor went hammering. Our principal went to the fence and told him about the 2 minutes silence. He soon stopped.

We started our silence, and a church bell tolled from far away. The kids were very good. We had a few handicap kids on walkers and clutches. Only an aspergers boy remained in the play ground.

The principal thanked the students for giving up part of their lunch hour.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

That is a lot of firewood to last you 10 winters.

DawnTreader said...

Reminds me of something i heard on the radio the other day... how much private burning of wood actually pollutes the air. Can't remember figures now or what it was compared to. But from environment point of view not as good as one might be tempted to think...

MaryMoh said...

Beautiful pictures. I grew up chopping and collecting firewoods for cooking. These pictures reminds me of my childhood days. Now it reminds me of maturity. A big strong tree has deep roots, can bend in the midst of strong wings and storms and yet won't break while being able to give shelter to others on hot days or for birds to nest. I really need to keep growing :D Have a blessed day. Mary

aspiritofsimplicity said...

I think that more people are burning wood for heat because of the price of oil. We just got our furnace filled for what I hope and pray will be the last time this winter. It has been a very cold one up here and work has been slow.
Trees are the most amazing things aren't they?
Your header picture is beautiful. How can one claim to understand something like that if one sees only the science behind it?
God is the only one who can create such majesty.

From the Kitchen said...

Did you know that a fireplace adds more value to a home than an extra bathroom? Just a memory from my days in real estate! We just use ours for effect but love it.

Best,
Bonnie

Anonymous said...

Love the quote and the header! I didn't know that wood burning stove are still used in your country. Fascinating fact about roots going down that deep! I do use wood in winter but that's what was left over from the construction/extension of the house. I believe one's yard stays cleaner if there's a fire burning in the backyard!;)

RoeH said...

Number 1....I love the Thoreau thought. His thinking is my thinking. Number 2....I salivate at the sight of all that firewood. And shudder at the forest that are disappearing for our pleasures.

I'm fickle.

MadSnapper said...

wow, that is some long roots. i wondered what the header was, that is amazing. it makes me sad to see the trees disappearing from our earth at a rapid pace. we now have an overpopulated world that is fast destroying what God put here. i love all things trees. i do hope the tree you show needed to come down for a reason other than firewood.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I love trees, so yes I love this post and the deep roots:)
kim

Arti said...

Beautiful post Ginny. Loved the woods and the wonderful quote!
Here in India people in the villages still use wood to cook their food on.
Have a wonderful day:-)

Shug said...

Morning Ginny...Love the header!
Being in the tree business, it's so hard for me to see trees cut up. We grow em and others cut em down!
We grow thousands of fig trees every year, but none have ever had roots like that.
Intersting post that I enjoyed very much...
Warm hugs to you today!
Shug

Reanaclaire said...

Noah built his enormous boat using the most solid wood as well...

Melanie said...

What a neat header picture. That is amazing.
And the fig roots going down 390 feet! That's amazing too!
I sure wish I had a wood stove. I did when I was growing up. The heat from them is so warm! On really cold days our heat pump just cannot keep up.

LV said...

What a different and informative post on wood. Trees are so nice to have, but more and more are being destroyed.

LC said...

Header blew me away. Awesome photo, awesome facts, awesome scripture. DawnTreader, I am guilty of polluting, I guess. With the cold weather this year, hubby and I are close to using up all the firewood from trees that had been downed by Hurricane Katrina and that he had split.

But he won't be replenishing our woodpile from newly cut trees. We still have more Katrina-downed trees just waiting for hubby to turn them into firewood.

Together We Save said...

Love the header!! Have not been by in awhile.... hope all is well!

S. Etole said...

Many in this area burn wood as their source of heat ...

srp said...

My cousin in Illinois has an underground house that he built himself... he can heat it on cold prairie nights with only a few sticks of wood.... very efficient. In summer he doesn't have to cool it but he does have to mow the roof.... ;)

Remington said...

Living in MN there is certainly a lot of logging around here. So we know about taking the trees....I wish they could just be left alone....

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Hi Ginny. I stopped drinking coffee because it disagreed with my stomach. I miss it though. I have come to like tea more than coffee most of the time though.
I have a tea ball, your's may get easier to use over time. I also have a basket that I use for straining but sometimes the smaller tea leaves go through.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Your header is just amazin' sweetie! Love it!

Nope, don't have a surprised look on my face either.

I pray my faith is deep like a well rooted fig tree!

God bless and have a beautiful day sweetie!!!

Giveaway...my place!

Fred Alton said...

Somehow this post reminds me of the song, "The Roots Of My Raisin' Run Deep" I loved the scripture associated with this post too.

Ann said...

That picture in your header is really cool.
I've always wished I had a real wood burning fireplace. Had one when I was growing up and I've always loved to sit in front of a fire.

Shanae Branham said...

Hi Ginny, I'm your newest follower and I enjoyed see the wood today and hearing scripture.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ginny, I do live in the woods and yes, I burn wood to help heat the house (propane furnace is also used). Have a splendid day tomorrow!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Who knew that wood could be so picturesque.I enjoy a wood burning stove,we used to have one,but I hate to see trees being cut down.

Karin said...

I guess I missed the header because it is already the alpacas. All those photos of the wood remind me of the story The Giving Tree. There are a few different versions on YouTube if you want to check it out! Simply deeply meaningful! Enjoy!

Bobbie said...

Wow, lots of wood. My eldest son majored in forestry but ended up working for fed ex. Go figure!

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