Tuesday, February 15, 2005

If I were a tree...

If I were a tree I imagine I would live forever, as long as no one cut me down and I wasn't a Dutch Elm with a penchant for disease. I'm still at home sick and as such I've been sucked into the zombie-like state of watching "Metropolis: Ancient Cities" on The Science Channel. It's a marathon. Yes, I'm a geek. I loved science films in school. I even volunteered to turn the filmstrip when the recorded voice said so. It was an art form. Too often, some doofy kid would throw his hand up because he thought it was cool to turn the filmstrip and he would end up on the wrong picture during the wrong dialogue and completely throw off the entire class. Stupid.

But back to Metropolis... they were just discussing the Agora, the marketplace at the foot of the Acropolis. It was here that people gathered to buy, sell, and trade; to discuss life, science, and politics. And it was here that democracy was born. (Pictures can be found here for those who learn best by visual stimulation: http://www.stoa.org/athens/sites/agorashortguide/index.html). But the part of this show that really struck me was that the trees lining the Agora have ALWAYS been there. How the HELL old do trees get? Do they live forever? I know they die when they're struck with disease or hollowed out to severely. I know that if you cut the roots in the right place they'll shrivel and die. But if left alone, if left COMPLETELY alone, can they live forever?

I've looked everywhere for an answer this morning. (Ok, so I'm not a gung-ho scientist who would spend eons searching for the answers... I gotta eat lunch at some point.) But I really wonder if they do live forever. You never hear someone say, "Yeah that old elm in the front yard, Julie, she's getting up there in age. Here branches are startin' to sag and she just ain't as active as she used to be." I guess if trees DID get old and start to suffer we would get out the old shotgun and pull an Old Yeller on it. "Well Johnnie, today's the day, old Julie ain't doing so well and I'm takin' her out." "No Pa, Julie's my tree... I'll do it."

"Old Yeller Pine" That would be the worst movie ever!

Until next time... I'm going back to bed.

1 comment:

ASF said...

Tommy - you simply have too much time, especially now that you are sickly.