Viewing trees in the neighborhood/Carlos Pueblo

Viewing trees in the neighborhood/Carlos Pueblo

In addition to my regular activity during the morning walk, I find another routine of viewing trees in the neighborhood as my favorite. American homeowners love to plant trees on their yards for the landscape and shades which are beneficiary to houses. I believe that big trees can deter the sudden hail and reduce the summer heatwave in some way. Of course, it is a hassle to manage the fallen branches during the storms  and leaves after the fall. Neighborhood trees are in better care in compare with trees in the forest and I can be appreciated the blooming during the year, i.e. the magnolia in May here in Houston as an example.

There are two kinds of the magnolia trees, one called the New York magnolia with smaller petals and another one which is very popular in Texas with large white flowers. WE have had one in the front yard under the suppress of a sweet gum while our neighbor Mark has one shoots up more than two story high. I proudly present to my fellow lady walkers about this new notice of beauty and they all agree with me.

The sweet gum is not a maple with identical shape of leaves also changing colors in the fall. We lost one huge one in the backyard early in January. It costed us $700 to remove the debris. I watch a self broadcasting firm of woodwork on the You Tube, a man cuts a big sweet gum tree, hauls it to his sawmill and slices the log into boards and explains how precious of the wood when reaches to the center. I did see our fallen tree when the tree man cut it to logs and rolled them away. There are different colors inside of the trunk. He did explain the dark pattern in the center. I can now appreciate why the European carpenters make veneer furniture because they like to utilize the precious pattern.

Another popular trees are at least two kinds of oaks, one regular kind with color changed leaves and another one is evergreen yet fallen after the year. They were planted mostly when the house was built. This is a subdivision of about 40 years old. The tree trunks are in good size. When the spring comes, I can see the green leaves coming back and show how pretty of the tree. I pointed it to my neighbor Mike who was walking his pet dog Willy. He said that was not a good wood. I think that what he means is the tree is not hard enough to make a furniture. However, all neighborhood trees are not able to be in any use for the cost of labor in order to make sense. It is just impossible to haul the sawmill into the beautiful front yard to treat the wood without damaging the lawn.

Yet I am still very appreciated of the growth of trees and observing them during my morning walk. There is a famous Chinese proverb, it has taken 10 years to grow a tree and 100 years to grow a man into use. I think that is more appropriate to say at  least 40 years to grow a tree in order to make a furniture or a part of the wood floor and I don't really know if we ever can claim that usage of the manhood.