Saturday, November 10, 2012

Hurricane Sandy's Effect on Country Trees

I had planned on working remotely a few days after Hurricane Sandy, but S. had called to say that things were a bit touch and go there as far as telephone/internet access. And electricity for that matter. So I held off going up a few extra days. When I drove up last Friday evening there was a marked moment in the drive where things suddenly got darker than usual, and there were still a few big trees that hadn't been removed from the country roads. It was striking to see all the downed wires and old trees that had met their ends as a result of Sandy. My neighborhood in Philadelphia was almost entirely untouched. We never lost power nor did we experience flooding. In fact, there's a travel coffee mug on our deck table, which even during the windiest and most rainy part of the storm, didn't budge an inch. We were lucky of course, especially compared to NYC or the Jersey shore. The country also didn't fare quite as well. The next morning I woke up far earlier than I meant to, and instead of just going back to sleep I decided to take a walk to see what could be seen as far as trees down. This tree fell smack dab on some group of wires.
Same tree, different angle.
Bird house becomes mouse house?
I found it interesting that the inside of this tree was hollowed out a bit. Obviously it had already been cut, but had it already been like that? Or did some intrepid animal quickly think that a little digging out the tree remainder could become a nice home?
Poor little fence.
This was just a pretty view.
Yup, already starting to be cut down to size, but the damage to the fence remains.
As a kid I was always sort of amazed by the ability to age a tree by counting its rings.
I am still pretty amazed by it, but also by the images that can be captured/created over the years.
Poor trees.
This storm was no joke.
No joke at all.
This tells the story of one tree falling on another, and that one also succumbing to the wet ground and strong winds.
Yup. They went down together.

Whooooooooosh.
And on a political note. The jerks who put these stickers on these signs are, I'm sure, quite disappointed with the results of our election. I, frankly, can't understand how we can be so divided about issues that seem so obvious. Gay marriage is a civil rights issue and anyone who feels like it is anything else than that is a terrible combination of ignorant and hateful. I know that's not very charitable, but for me it's true. Though I am not gay, it hurts me to the core to think that people truly think they are somehow 'better' or 'more worthy' of the rights and privileges that come with a legally recognized marriage. I think for many of us with that basic vantage point, the true thing that 'sticks in our collective craws' is the fact that extending the rights of marriage, or serving openly in the military, for gay/lesbian/etc does not in any way actually affect the lives of people who oppose it. They think it does. But seriously, they are wrong. I'm getting angry and sick just thinking about this, so I'm going to end it. But I do have to write some sort of something about just how I feel about the strange polarization that's going on and how it's hard to figure it out.

2 comments:

nc catherine said...

Trees first. That hollowed out pine was one sick tree, so it was way more susceptible. I saw some oaks cut up (makes for way good firewood so I hope folks are toting and splitting) and then some soft centered thick barked something or other that would also have a hard time in super fierce winds. We were not hit badly here so I am thankful that my old maples and one scary and indifferent tulip poplar did not come down.

Politics. I am so totally over the mishmash of "marriage" versus civil union. What the hell, the STATE is involved since each state issues a marriage license. Get over it, people, if the state has a hand in it, it is now a civil rights issue. My solution, not to be met with any degree of seriousness because language is what it is, is to let straight folk or gay folk all have civil unions that let them be "married" for the purposes of all that marriage decrees (property ownership, inheritance, child custody, life-ending decisions, health care you know the drill) and let churches have their magical mystical marriages. If a church doesn't want to "marry" gay people or interfaith people or interracial people, that is the shortsighted church's view. The state should get the hell out of the way and let folks who want to be legally joined be legally joined.

Yeah yeah yeah shutting up now. Altho I left an independently owned hardware store today without my box of nails because the stupid store guy and his customer were ranting about Obamacare and how stupid it was for kids up to 26 to stay on mom and/or dad's health insurance when anyone could get a health insurance policy. I deal with this crap in my professional life and um sure you can get an individual policy if you have never been sick or don't have any sort of pre-existing condition but if you USE the policy WHOOSH you are nailed. Staying on the (presumably corporate)policy of mom or dad, you don't get hosed if you actually use the insurance benefits. Instead of trying to educate the rabidly entrenched, I left. And will never go there again. As much as I hate Home Despot (Despot on purpose) and barely suffer Lowes, ain't going there again.

Stepping off soapbox now and looking sheepishly....at the computer screen. But. We should all speak up, however I chose to be a coward. Bad call on my part but hey I am "just" a woman in a newly re-reddened red state so no cred here apparently. Easier to leave than speak. Speaking with my pocketbook at every turn though. Yep.

Anonymous said...

A hearty amen ... both to the content of your political comments, and to the ensuing queasy feeling.

America. Sigh.