Trees: To Hug or Not to Hug

Jack, Will, and Tom

Snuggle up to Jack, Will, and Tom and look skyward!
St. John, the Toilet Tree (use your imagination)

In general, I love trees. Growing up, about the only ones I knew were pine, oak, holly, and dogwood. But in high school biology I got really interested in leaf classification and the new hobby would serve me well as Nature Counselor at Camp Cherokee a few years later. Then, on our Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail, I always enjoyed pointing out interesting trees. There were Jack, Will, and Tom, a poplar tree with three identical trunks orinating from one huge base. Jack, Will, and Tom were the three brothers in our popular Jack Tales. Students also loved St. John (the Toilet Tree), which had an interesting trunk that resembled a port-o-potty. Many looked forward to a snack from "Sourwood Sally," located in the Graveyard of the Pines. Most would at least try chewing up a leaf in the pioneer spirit, and some claimed to enjoy it.


All of these positive associations still do not make me claim to be a "tree hugger." I am thankful for trees, and consider them one of God's great multi-purpose blessings. They provide food and shelter for wildlife, oxygen for all, lumber, and firewood. Much better than a jungle gym for authentic climbing. And where else, praytell, would you locate a treehouse? With all that to love, what's NOT to love about trees? Stay tuned.

Now THAT'S News!

A couple of years ago I read that a growing number of adults, especially from Gen X and Gen Y, are getting a fair share of their news from news parody shows like the Daily Show and Stephen Colbert. Their humor can best be appreciated if you know the real news story that's being satirized, but many folks don't bother. The mainstream networks can only blame themselves, since they've bought into the entertainment-as-news philosophy. I like to sample late-night political humor because all personalities, parties, organizations, causes, and nations are fair game for their darts. At a recent yard sale I stumbled upon "The Borowitz Report" by Andy Borowitz, and I would compare it to the excellent fare found in The Daily Onion (which Jennifer introduced me to years ago). Here are some of the headlines from articles in the book that tickled my funny bone.

Majority of Americans Now Believe Evil is Bad, Survey Says

Osama's Wife, Debbie Bin Laden, Speaks Out

Taliban Shuts Down Regime; Will Focus Instead on Website

*Bill Bennett Loses Wife in Poker Game

**Saddam Denies Pursuing "Nucular" Weapons

Wealthiest .00001 Percent Praise Bush Economic Package

New Tape May Mean Al Gore is Alive

Microsoft Buys Massachusetts

Bush Wins Nobel War Prize

CIA Using Disgraced American CEO's to Infiltrate Al-Qaeda

U2's Bono Proposes Sweeping Social Security Overhaul

O.J. No Longer "100 Percent Sure" He is Innocent

*William Bennett wrote The Book of Virtues and The Child's Book of Virtues before his chronic gambling habit was exposed.
**Reference to President Bush's pronunciation of "nuclear" as "nucular."

I haven't even finished the book yet, but to me the titles are funny even before I read the articles. I just located the Andy Borowitz website and linked it above. Today's post is about John McCain's bold first visit to the Internet.