See Dere Cedar Stumps

 

While recently pulling out spring weeds, I noticed some of the cedar stumps didn't have round, smooth perimeters as I'd expect. Turns out that all nine stumps looked different from typical cylindrical tree trunks of live oak and Spanish oaks. Interestingly, these cross sections also looked different from each other.

While poking around on the web, it turns out that these trees are also known as ashe juniper trees. (A long time ago, I was told that these trees were cedars.) I'm keeping the theme title, but keeping in mind that the tie-in to junipers is the foliage.

Cedars and Junipers

The following resources indicate that the cedar tree and stumps in the backyard to be ashe junipers.

"Cedar vs. Juniper: Why we call it ‘cedar fever’ when cedar isn’t to blame" focuses on "fever". The accompanying video provides good videocam panning of the trees. About 15 seconds into video, the tree resembles the lone remaining backyard "cedar" tree. Notable: "the tree was finally formally identified as ashe juniper in 1932."

"How Austin’s most hated tree benefits humans and the environment" states "Though not technically cedar, the Ashe Juniper trees have been referred to as cedar since the first settlers arrived in Texas, and the name stuck." The accompanying video shows several trees that resemble the ones in my yard from pre-arborgeddon in 2023.

"Ashe Juniper" shows a good image of tree bark, accompanied by description that suits the cut-off trees well.

The tree is easily recognized by its irregular shape, fluted, twisted trunk, and dark green foliage. ... Its bark is gray or reddish-brown often with white patches. ... Another identifying characteristic of the bark, especially on mature trees, is its shredding into long narrow strips.

"CEDAR 101" explains mountain cedar as "technically, it is Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei). The name 'mountain cedar' comes from its visual similarity to Eastern Red Cedar and its preponderance in the Hill Country, or Edwards Plateau ecoregion, of Texas." The image of stacked logs provides various looks of cross cut edges. The site describes how the lumber is sized and graded for selling.

"Numerous Juniperus, but Neither Were Cedar!" is longish and detailed. About 2:29 into the video, the narrator holds up a small branch and states "This is an ash(e) juniper. This is the most common tree in Austin."

"A Forest Grows Under Ashe Juniper" includes the phrase "Ashe juniper (commonly called cedar)" in the video description

"Ashe Juniper is Native to Central Texas" includes historical and current info about ashe junipers.

Some Juniper/Cedar Cross Section Views

Besides the stacked logs image at Cedar 101, you can view additional cross sections. Some are comparable to the stumps in my "See Dere Cedar Stumps" video.

• "1" - 2.5" Red Cedar Log Bundle, ..."
• "Eastern Red Cedar (Juniper) r/firewood"
• Etsy's "Cedar Stumps" has loads of images for viewing. I've pasted links to some of the more interesting specimens.
• "16" x 3" Red Cedar Cookie, Slab, ..."
• "Red Cedar Log 319"
• "Very large thick unique red cedar wood slice ..."
• "Red Cedar Stump ..."
• "Red Cedar wood cookie slice ..."
• "Need some advice on drying and preserving these large juniper tree rounds " is a non-etsy page showing a multi-lobed cross section.

Additional Localized Resources

"7 Types of Cedar Trees in Texas: Identification Guide (Chart, Pictures)" provides info on seven types of cedar trees. I initially thought that my cedars were alligator cedars. I changed my mind when I saw the bark resembled organized mosaic tiles. BTW, the rock cedar (Juniperus ashei) apparently is another name for ashe juniper.

"What Kind of Cedar Grows in Texas? | Cedar Tree ID | Brush Management" contrasts ashe juniper, redberry juniper, and Eastern red cedar trees.

Cruisin' with Cartoons

I thought about a dozen cartoons that have aired on "Toon In With Me" in the last few years. They are entertaining for having themes from even before WWII. Viewing them across generations provides different perspectives of childhood, parent-agehood, and oldsterhood. Despite mostly 2D looks, these animations are amazing in indicating movement, character looks consistency, and great imaginations for improbable realities.

What kind of improbable realities? How about characters that get totally destroyed in scenes, yet recover to perfect health and wholiness within seconds? Violations of laws of physics with backgrounds that snap out of rigidity and back to immovable state? How about constant uses of dynamite, TNT, office safes, anvils, and the like for attempted destruction between adversaries? Such cartoons and items include the following characters: Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, Bugs Bunny and adversaries (Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Tasmanian Devil, ...), Tom and Jerry, and Tweety and Sylvester.

Thinking of various gadgets WRT to Wile E, the devices from Acme always fail him. Ordering delivery of a chicken meal would be more effective, filling, and less harmful to his health. Expanding thoughts wider about cartoons, some specific ones come to mind, with or without the usual weapons of personal destruction that I've mentioned.

Note: Links for cartoons are for full versions. Most are from YouTube. Ones from Daily Motion have slightly different play and audio controls; be sure to click "unmute".

Spider and Fly Interaction, Fly Saved By WWII Regulation

For "Meatless Flyday", the spider has four arms, four legs. Gloved hands show three-fingers and thumb most of the times. Feet are shod. In one instance, his shoe is cut open, exposing five toes. He counts his now five-digit hands to confirm full counts. The fly has two arms (gloved fingers) and two legs (three toes per foot). Comically improbable--a horseshoe magnet strong enough to attract the fly with ingested buck shot AND kitchen knives.

Note that the spider's cut-open-toe shoe and hand digits around the 4:00 mark. Also noteworthy is WWII-type references to meatless day—"Meatless Monday Then and Now", and nighttime blackouts ("Blackout (wartime)").

Another cartoon with nod to WWII, "LOONEY TUNES (Looney Toons): A Tale of Two Kitties (1942) (Remastered) (HD 1080p)" shows a Victory Garden and lights-out policing. The cartoon includes destructive devices that only temporarily disable Catstello while annoying Babbit in their mission to capture a proto-Tweety. Violations of laws of physics are rampant, especially during the last few minutes.

The two cartoons I've described show loads of violence and little music. Several of the following cartoons engage in both music AND violence, but not sax and violins.

Hungarian Musical Presences in Cartoons

"Cartoons using Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" shows compiled snippets. "The Concerto Controversy | Plagiarism Accusations Between Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes" provides background to two very similar cartoons that feature Hungarian Rhapsody #2. Star piano players are Bugs Bunny and Tom Cat, respectively. The video also includes additional content about cartoons' cultural impacts.

"Brahms – Pigs in a Polka – Hungarian Dances 5, 7, 6, 17" provides details about Hungarian Dances music and order. The embedded cartoon link points to a YouTube video, but "LOONEY TUNES (Looney Toons): Pigs in a Polka (1943) (Remastered) (HD 1080p)" is more complete.

Three Pigs Segue to Jazz

"Three Little Bops (starring Joe Bezek)", from 1950s has loads of jazz from the three pigs and wolf. The story bears some resemblance to the familiar pigs and wolf story. No house constructions, but wolf blowing anyway.

Another Three Pigs Twist, Mashed Up with Little Red Riding Hood

"Bugs Bunny E078 The Windblown Hare" stars Bugs Bunny in a mashup of the three pigs with wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. The lesson is that defrauding Bugs results in consequences.

Little Red Riding Hood Variations

"Little Red Riding Rabbit" shows twist of Little Red Riding Hood ending up as the least sympathetic character. Both Bugs Bunny and the wolf ultimately leave her in dire straits. Apparently, several cartoons vary in their approaches to Little Red Riding Hood. Warner Brothers and Walter Lantz (Woody Woodpecker) have additional variations Of LRRH and wolf, fineable on the web.

Violations of Laws of Physics In Popeye Adventures

Oddly enough, Popeye cartoons, despite loads of violence, don't seem to resort to dynamite. Surroundings (roads, trains, ...) seem to become elastic in many stories. BTW, Olive has elasticity in spades. In instances, she twists like a corkscrew, spans chasms with skinny legs that rival Mr. Fantastic, and frequently moves her limbs spaghetti-ishly. An example of laws-of-physics violations is "Popeye 147 I'll be skiing you 1947". It starts out with ice skating, but transitions to skiing, with amazing Olive Oyl improbable flexibilities not seen in other cartoons. A St. Bernard rescues Popeye with spinach so he can rescue Olive from the ever-growing and downhill rolling snowball. Bluto gets kissed by a she-wolf on the slopes and Florida.

A Valentine Story for Multiple Generations

"Don't Look Now (1936) (HD)" is a Valentine Day theme of Cupid and youngsterish devil with opposing goals upon arising. The story has something for youngsters and grownups. The cartoon sprinkles a few adult themes, such as planted "evidence" of infidelity among courting couples and false accusations of paternity.. Lots of music throughout.

A Couple of Single Working Women and Their Abodes

Betty Boop and Olive Oyl cartoons have shown them having their own careers, businesses, and residences. Some cartoons show them living in apartments or houses—no roommates, siblings, or parents. Betty does own Pudgy, her dog, which occasionally exhibits human mannerisms.

Couple of business examples:

• Olive and Popeye open a diner together as partners in "Popeye The Sailor Man - We aim to please".
• Betty Boop shows her auto repair business in "Betty Boop - So Does An Automobile 1939 // Colorized HD". Numerous autos are animated to display human movements and behaviors.

Rec'ed for Multiple Viewings

The following cartoons are great entertainment that invite multiple viewings, for absorbing details and also re-viewing fun stuff. They have great plot development, loads of music, and lots of innovations with devices and gadgets. Action-packed nearly throughout the adventures.

• "Betty Boop - Grampy's Indoor Outing (1936)"
• "Popeye the Sailor - Cartoons Ain't Human"
• "Rabbit Of Seville (1950)"

Generational Reaches

Whether you watch classic cartoons as first timer or old timer, favorites will form memories of happy entertainment. Oddly enough, some cartoons almost seem new if not viewed in many years.

Sycamore Tree Sight, Seed Pod Pickapart

For a few weeks this summer, my stemmed orb-like object lay on the floor. I wasn't sure what to expect if I were to poke and prod it. My video starts out showing showing a sycamore tree and leaves. The latter part shows my exploration and pickapart to fuzzy fibers and, eventually, snipped-apart center.

With poking around the web, I quickly concluded the item was not an acorn. Somehow, I was able to focus (grin) and conclude the object was a sycamore seed pod, aka sycamore seed ball, aka sycamore ball. I myself decided on "sycamore tree seed pod".

Sycamore Resources—Trees, Humongous Leaves, Orb-like Seed Pods

"Sycamore Tree" provides overall info and basic images for sycamore trees. The split-open seed pod shows a good view of the "fuzzy interior"."Sycamore, American" shows a picked-apart seed pod similar to mine. Compare the leaves that both sides use for emphasizing size. Note the white bark shots.

Leaves figure prominently in "Everybody hates sycamores?". The leaves look nice, but the video speaker describes their downsides.

"The Sycamore Squeeze", published February 2022 mentions that time period as good for squeezing a sycamore seed ball.

If a seed-ball isn’t ready, bring it inside a house for a day or so. Dry air hastens the squishable stage. When it gives, it’s ready to take.

Still pictures in the article and the accompanying 's video confirm the object to be a sycamore tree seed ball. FWIW, I had begun cutting into and prying stuff apart before I realized I could squeeze the fuzz off.

"Sycamore Tree seed pod explosion in slow motion" shows the crushing of a sycamore seed pod. The pre-crush object looks like my object, but not the separation of parts!

Portraits of Wildflowers, with Multiple Sycamore Items

Portraits of Wildflowers primarily provides flora content and macro pictures. To my delight, I did a sycamore search and found several articles and images that greatly helped me ID sycamore trees, leaves, and seed pods.

"Sycamore seed ball" described the seed pod process.

These start out hard and firm but eventually, in a way that’s reminiscent of cattails with seeds attached to fluff, they loosen to the point that a touch—be it of a hand or of the wind—causes them to unravel.

"Sycamore seed balls and drying leaf" and "Sycamore leaf and clouds" blog titles perfectly describe their accompanying images. (¡Mira! ¡Mira!)

"Whose woods these are I just don’t know*" is an intriguing blog title. The content itself provides a good description of sycamore tree characteristics to go with the image.

Reaching Way Back for Sycamore Tree Climber—Zacchaeus

My recollection of first hearing of "sycamore" was as a child singing about Zacchaeus climbing a sycamore tree to view Jesus. Google provides loads of info for "zacchaeus song", much of the info surrounding Zacchaeus himself.

Q/As are handy with summaries, such as who Zacchaeus was, why he climbed a sycamore tree, how short he was, why he changed his treatment of people WRT tax collection, moral lesson, etc. Google "zacchaeus in the bible" and "how did zacchaeus change after meeting jesus".

View YouTube results for "zacchaeus was a little man song" for several versions of the children's biblical song. ("Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man" is illustrated and includes a second verse.)

Sycamore Tree in Relatively Recent News

A recent news account of a sycamore tree chopping made news in September 2023. The article includes historical info about the locale and tree's age. From "Famous 'Sycamore Gap tree' in northern England found cut down overnight; 16-year-old arrested"

The tree, which is about 300 years old, was located next to Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans beginning in 122 A.D. to mark the northern limits of Roman Britannia.

In Closing, a Far-reaching Sycamore Resource

"Sycamore Trees: Leaves, Bark, Types – Identification Guide (Pictures)" has exhaustive content and images of sycamores, mostly about ones in some US states and Mexico. One item that particularly piqued me was the info and image comparison between a sycamore and maple leaf.