I like trees! I have always enjoyed looking at them. Back when we lived on Shippensburg Rd, there was a small woods off our property. I was able to enjoy it from our front yard and from my bedroom windows. The woods had a large pine tree, and many cute, miniature pine trees.
We had an assortment of trees on our property. Numerous deciduous trees and a pine tree up by Dale Road (a private, dirt road). Being a child at the time, I didn’t have much opportunity to be by that pine tree. It wouldn’t be wise to play by the road!
After moving to our current location, we had a landscaper plant a pine tree in the front as well as a blue spruce in the back. There also were a few weeping willow trees that we planted over the years, but I felt that our yard was nothing like the one on Shippensburg Road in the sense of trees.
For quite some time, I wanted to get another tree. Sometimes I thought it should be a deciduous tree like a maple or oak, other times another pine tree. The talk about getting another tree went on for a while.
Eventually my dad, decided to have the landscaper come back. He wanted to get several plants including an angel face rose plant for my mom. We had one before, but it disappeared. She loved the scent of those roses. I suggested getting another pine tree. To my surprise, my tree was added to the list of plants to get.
The landscaper came during a nice summer day and brought with him a nice shapely pine tree to plant. Though new trees generally don’t start out that tall, this tree was an impressive five and a half feet tall. The tree was planted in the backyard in a position handpicked where I could see it from my bedroom window. The landscaper said that the tree would grow around a foot per year which seems correct as it is currently nine and a half feet (we have had it for around four years now).
Originally, it needed regular watering to help it get established. Being a large plant, it took several watering cans full of water. I would fill up a can and carry it down to the tree and carefully sprinkle out the water onto the roots of the tree. After it was established, then Mother Nature was able to do the rest of the work. The task of watering the tree was well worth it.
I got into a routine. When I got up in morning I would put the blinds up, and sit at my desk drinking an energy drink. I would look out the window at the tree. Over time I decided to give the tree a name. I named him, Piney.
In 2022, I decided to put Christmas lights on Piney. I have always loved Christmas lights. I would drive around on December evenings to see who put Christmas lights out. More recently, my family started to put a few lights out. First the garage and balcony and then in the back. When I was at Bronner’s (A Christmas store) in Frankenmuth, Michigan, I picked up some lights for Piney. The lights I bought included a box of green lights as well a multi-colored light arranged into a net that could be easily put on the tree. I would turn on the lights in the evening, along with other lights that we had put up. I would look at Piney all lit up with Christmas lights from up in my bedroom. I was able to see Christmas lights from the comfort of my bedroom. I also had a remote switch that allowed me to turn them on and off from up there. Though most of the other lights were turned off around nine o’clock, I kept mine on until I was ready to go to bed.
I wanted to put lights on Piney for other seasons. Since Christmas lights can be expensive, and I only had a small collection, I asked for some for my birthday. Since my birthday is at the end of June, the lights I received were red, white and blue which are perfect for the month of July because of Independence Day. So, I had these patriotic lights up on my tree through out the summer. Come November, I put the Christmas Lights back on.
I was also thinking ahead. What’s the next holiday, I want to put lights on for? I decided Valentine’s Day, and so I asked for some pink lights for a Christmas gift. Before Dad went to Taiwan to visit my brother, Dave, who lives in Taiwan, Dad helped me put up the new Christmas gift Lights which I kept on through out the month of February.
I was going to get more strings of green lights for St. Patrick’s Day, but that didn’t happen. One of the reasons was that I discovered that the brand of lights that I liked seemed to be out of stock then. So, a tree with green lights hasn’t materialized yet. I did ask for more tree lights again for my birthday, so it’s hard to say what I will put up next, though I hope to have him decorated for the summer.
It’s easy to see that I enjoy pine trees. I think that their needles look soft to touch, though the term “needle” would make one think otherwise. And of course, their needles are soft! Of course, I also like to decorate Piney. Only time will tell, what color lights I will decorate him with next. Keep watching!
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