a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Cedar Glade...

is what it was always called.  Mostly cedar, pine and few hardwoods grew here on the rocky side of the ridge.  Before the tornado you could not see the sky line well.  Now it looks bare to me.
 Seeing the top of the ridge is something new in my lifetime.
Years before my memory Dad and Mom had goats
 on this hill side keeping the underbrush clear.
  The briers make it almost impossible to walk.
Here lie the roots of an ancient cedar torn up by the tornado but the loggers were able to save it for lumber.  Much they could not for if a tree is twisted so will the lumber tend to twist.
You can see the healed twist in this small tree.
Many cedars could not be used for lumber
but can be split for fence posts
A pair of Osage Orange or Bodark trees
 One gone one twisted and split but still living. 
Supposed to be the best tree for making bows.
It is sad to see the destruction 
but the tiny cedar trees are growing again.
In sixty years you'll never know the damage that was here.
Returning from my walk
A frost bitten vinca tries to convince me its spring.

21 comments:

Arkansas Patti said...

I saw similar things in Florida after a hurricane. Hurricanes often harbor dozens of tornadoes in their midst. Some of my trees that managed to stand were twisted.
I hadn't thought about them not being good for lumber but it makes perfect sense.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

How long ago was the tornado? That close to home - scary!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh this feels like home:) B

Deb said...

Love that pretty little sign of soring

Primitive Stars said...

Morning, wow!!!! looks so pretty though...love the little flower peeking out....just banks of snow here, Francine.

Lynne said...

Love how you weave me into your life story with your words and telling . . .

When was the tornado . . .

the canned quilter said...

Never heard an Osage Orange called a Bodark! Around here you see fence lines of Osage Orange. I never saw the tree until I moved here.

Country Gal said...

Lovely photos Gail ! We have quite a few twisted trees here as well and very weathered to but for me I find they make for interesting photography . For ever one that dies there's always one born , hope the new little trees grow big and live full life ! Have a good day !

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I love it when you take me along for a "look, see". I learn so much. When was the tornado? Oma Linda

Manzanita said...

An interesting walk through your forest. Goats are so neat. I used to raise angora goats for spinning. I had about 40 goats and they kept the area looking like a golf course. Now, sadly, I have to pay men to mow. I miss the goats.

TexWisGirl said...

glad things are growing back again.

MadSnapper said...

i am a tad envious of all you have to see when you walk. and even one tree down changed the sky line..

Anonymous said...

A pensive post of both damage and healing. Beautiful.

Empty Nester said...

Some of the nature hurricane Hugo destroyed in 1989 never recovered. The landscape remained forever scarred. Now, it's construction that does the same thing around here. I don't like it.

Sandy Livesay said...

You can really see the evidence of tornado damage, the turning of tree's. What will happen with the logs already cut, will they be fence posts?

Far Side of Fifty said...

Looks like spring to me! :)

Susan Kane said...

The land manages to heal, altho our memories do not. Was this tornado in the series of ones that took our Joplin, MO? So horrible. Glad you and yours remained safe.

Farm Girl said...

I was trying to remember that name the other day, Bodark Trees. My Dad used them for fence posts.
It really is an amazing walk.

Josie Two Shoes said...

I look at the tree trunks twisted by tornadoes, and I cannot help but liken them to our lives, sometimes also twisted by the storms of life, but somehow we find ways to heal or repurpose, maybe moving in a new direction or starting over with new growth. I see damage, but I also see resilience, and I like that a lot! Loved the little vinca too, you've got to like determination to make your presence known, even if it freezes itself in the process! Another lovely walk, a girl could get used to these! Perhaps you need to do videos we could use with our treadmills! :-)

LindaG said...

Ah, Vinca! We have those here. I wondered what they were. :-)

I've never had a skyline like that, but I do know what hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes can do. Glad you are here to show us the pictures.
Had not realized you'd had a tornado.

*hugs* and God bless. ♥

Susan Anderson said...

That little Vinca is so cheerful!

It's amazing how nature restores herself, isn't it?

=)

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