Remembering Uncle Bill

If we are fortunate, we get to know some of our relatives in the generations that precede us. I consider myself blessed to have gotten to know my grand parents and their siblings, especially in the case of my paternal grand parents. Although they all died withing a relatively short time period I was a teenager and older by then and had at times lived with them. There is no telling how much what I learned in that time has benefited me and shaped what I have come to believe is proper living. Needless to say, their era was one of hard physical work and living off the land. My paternal grandfather had three brothers and two sisters and with the exception of his brother Fred who died shortly before I was born, I got to know them all pretty well, a blessing as stated earlier. Actually they were step siblings and between women of the same first name dying and remarrying cousins the genealogy even makes my head spin. But that's material for a future post when I work up the courage. In this post I want to remember Granddad's (Eli's) brother, or half brother or whatever the relationship really was, William J. Schoonover.

Uncle Bill was one of the most delightful men I ever met. Never, in my presence, did he have an unkind word to say about others. He and his wife Stella served for some time as the stewards at one of the local hunting and fishing clubs and later opened a restaurant in the village of Bushkill. That restaurant and the adjoining bar was a favorite watering hole for most of the locals and I was amazed that Uncle Bill was never too busy to listen to folks or lend a sympathetic ear to the stories that surrounded those patrons of long gone establishments like his. About the time his career changed from club steward to restaurant owner, he examined a piece of property that adjoined land my grandfather had purchased about ten years earlier and decided to buy it. When I inherited most of the land that had belonged to my grandfather I  was approached by Uncle Bill's children and asked if I would be interested in that beautiful piece of timber and swamp. That land along with what we already owned is, to the best of our resources, being managed and remains a rustic island in the middle of housing developments. I would like to believe that is the way Eli and Bill would have it

When he first examined that piece of property Uncle Bill, not unlike most of the old timers, sought out a nice Beech tree in the middle of that plot and carved his initials and the date in it. I knew that tree and had visited it quite a few times but the thought of it slipped my mind a few years ago when we contracted to have a thinnng timber cutting done in that area. I realized after the timber sale that that Beech tree had grown into a prize specimen and was so regretful that I had not said anything about it being spared when the trees were cut. The timber sale was over, the heavy equipment and log trucks were long gone when that awful feeling from the pit of my stomach surfaced with the thought that I had sold that historic tree. I tugged on my boots and headed out the half mile or so that would bring me to the spot where I might find only a massive stump where that tree had stood.The tree and my conscience were saved by the fact that "Uncle Bill's Tree" was within the wetland border that the harvester was obligated to overlook.

Just like you and me, trees are temporary. But just like you and me, they symbolize much more than their physical characteristics. Trees as well as other people are a God-given gift. We are asked by their Maker through His Son to love one another. I was so glad to find that tree that served as a reminder of the timeless ambitions we all have. Had that tree been removed, it would have been unintentional on my part but the damage would have been done. When we fail as Christians to love one another as we've been asked that too is often unintentional. I encourage any good person who might read this to carefully consider how grateful we are to be for all God has provided and the stewardship with which we are to treat it.

Bringing Back The American Chestnut

Before I was born (no smart comments about how long ago that was), the American Chestnut tree was pretty much eradicated by a blight that was introduced via imported Chinese or Japanese Chestnut trees. The natural range of the American Chestnut was large, Maine to Georgia and as far west as the Mississippi River. The Chestnut dominated the hardwoods in much of that range. In our state of Pennsylvania, it constituted 20% of all the hardwood trees. Efforts to combat the blight and preserve the Chestnuts was given a boost when an early advocate dubbed the American Chestnut the "Redwood of the East". Although never approaching the size of mature Redwoods, American Chestnuts did get large,some exceeding seven feet in diameter. The important point is that the value of these trees as a timber provider, mast crop, and just plain beautiful tree was almost beyond description. My father and grandfather spoke often of the sad decline and disappearance of something too good to be true. Not understanding just what the Chestnut Blight was, Granddad's explanation was that the Chestnut tree was so under appreciated that God took it away from us.

Over the last thirty years or so, The American Chestnut Foundation

has been working on a  breeding program to develop a blight resistant Chestnut Tree. Hoping that the original American Chestnut when crossed with a Chinese Chestnut would result in a tree exhibiting some characteristics of those giants of the forest and retaining a degree of blight resistance. It looks like the battle is winnable. By back crossing each generation of the original hybrids we are now working with and planting nuts that are 15/16 American Chestnut. The offspring from the trees produced from those nuts will be the beginning of the nut producers that may allow this grand tree to be reintroduced to the areas where it once thrived. My wife Jennifer and I will be volunteering at a small display this weekend at PEEC that will help educate folks about the foundation and the efforts to get back something that was once thought lost forever. Being part of the foundation has been fulfilling for us and the thought that our efforts will outlive us is delightful. Being grateful for what God provides is essential. It will be possible to have great Chestnut Trees, albeit hybrids, again only if He wills it to happen.

Good Business

In 1988, my father, discouraged with the difficulty of finding someone local to do saw milling for him, ordered a portable sawmill from a relatively new company in Indiana named Wood Mizer. A young man named Mike demonstrated just how portable the mill was by towing it to Bushkill from Indianapolis. Wood Mizer asked people taking ownership of a new mill to allow them to demonstrate the mill and advertise the event for prospective customers. It was a grand day. Dozens of folks showed up to see this machine in action and, of course, pepper the factory representative with questions about the workings of the mill. In appreciation for allowing the demonstration to take place, the new owner was promised $75 if anyone buying a new mill said they had seen it at the event. The skeptic would say, "Yea, right. That's really gonna happen," The kind of company Wood Mizer is was demonstrated several times when Dad would receive an unexpected check in the mail because someone had bought a mill and used him as a reference.

Although the original engine has been replaced on the mill , it is still going strong and just like so many things Dad left to me, both tangible and otherwise, it works as well as it did all those years ago. When I made the engine swap a couple years ago, I had some questions concerning the wiring configuration and, as always, the service department at the home plant was extremely helpful. In response to one of my questions the man on the phone said, "Just a minute. If Mike is out in the shop, he'd know the answer to that." Well, how about that? The same Mike that delivered that mill 25 years earlier, was still a faithful employee and still answering questions about these great machines. Somehow, I was not surprised. I've no intention of making this blog into a tool review forum and it's unlikely that any of my readers are in the market for a sawmill. However this is not about sawmills. It is about doing the right thing; like really meaning it when you offer to reward someone for helping refer customers. One of the originators of the Wood Mizer company recently stepped down and passed the CEO position or whatever it is called to someone else. I am pleased that, just like his predecessor

, the new head man uses references to God and expresses appreciation to Him for the opportunity to interact with and serve customers long after the sale. Even in the business world, it is possible to honor God. I wish more businesses did.

Even Trees Know

There is a big Oak tree that I need to cut. It is leaning over the driveway and it's just a matter of time until it falls over the road and will probably do so at a pretty inconvenient time. It has been fascinating to watch that tree grow over the last forty years or so and there is no question that the angle at which it is growing continues to overshadow the drive  almost imperceptibly leaning a bit more each year. There is much we can observe about trees and perhaps take some lessons in living considering how long some trees live even though, or perhaps because, they are unable to move from where they take root. Perhaps the fact that trees don't move around and keep trying to find a "better" place explains their longevity and the growing that continues if only primarily in a vertical direction. Trees just patiently continue to grow and accept whatever is done to them. If what is done doesn't kill the tree, it simply grows around the item that someone leaves hanging on a branch. You may have seen the photo of a bicycle completely captured inside the trunk of a tree.

We humans can certainly learn some lessons from trees. The idea of patiently growing even though there is something foreign that could be irritating us is a helpful idea. Having appreciation for our roots is another aspect of horticulture that we do well to accept. Knowing what provides true growth is another lesson we can learn by observing trees. That tree that I referred to in the beginning of this post continues to lean further west each year because it is on the east side of the driveway. The tree somehow knows that growth is provided by seeking light and, if you take notice, you will observe that trees along a road or stream grow towards the center because that's where the light is most available. God provides lessons for us constantly,even among inanimate things like trees. A healthy life for you and me is more likely if we take our cue from the trees; appreciate our roots, patiently work with what comes, and continually seek The Light of the World.