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The fallen tree: When, How, Why, and a Response
Editor's note: The tree pictured at right stood at the edge of the Skyland parking lot. It fell at around 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 29, according to Gerry Alonzo, who forwarded Brian Wood's photo.
Already weakened by decay, the tree apparently fell of its own weight. Larry Lopp has an explanation, a warning, and a recommendation. He writes:
No wind [meaning that the tree was not blown over]. On real hot days the tree must transport much water up [its] circulation system. This large increase in weight of the branches causes failure; in this case the whole trunk system failed since it was damaged by decay. This kind of failure is common during summer heat waves.
Gravity-caused tree failures are nearly impossible to predict. They are also the reason big old trees need to be removed from around buildings...We need to consider this as we plan our site for the next 50 years.
Larry
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Meditation Moment
Hubble Telescope image of a corner of the universe 13.5 billion years ago.
'
Psalm 151'
Oh God, my God
How wonderful thou art
Thou hast such patience with me
You wait in the shadows to remind me that you have expectations of my actions
And infinite patience for me to shape up...
to do what I should do.
God, you have such persistence with me
No matter how time passes
nor what I busy myself with
There you are at the edge of my conscience
gently pushing your agenda for my life;
As the ocean eats away at the land daily,
You lead millions, nay billions onto your pathways
You nudge even me
You never give up on me.
You are eyeless but nothing is hidden from you,
I need eyes to see and can't find my way in the dark.
How wondrous to me is the light you created.
When the sun rises and all creation is visible to me
And when a ray of light passes through a drop of water
your light separates into color
A rainbow of color for my delight.
Fourteen billion years ago, you imagined
and in a split second all that was necessary
for life in this universe came into being_
You are full of mysteries
One of those mysteries is time
God oh God, what is time that you created_
No scientist understands, no poet knows
But my time passes
And who I am goes away
I was created and then was no more
And you were there
Oh God, my God You are there
forever.
-- Poem by Ruth Dawkins
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Altar Flowers
Please check the calendar in Whitaker Hall and sign up for an open date in June.
Hard-baked summer clay
yet oleanders flourish --
red, white, salmon pink.
-- haiku by John Heyes
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Photo by Brian Wood
Minister's
Column
Tree Falls at Edge of Forest
Exciting developments under the heading of: "You Never Know What Is Going To Happen Next." I was getting ready to drive up to church this morning (June 30) when I got a call from Larry Lopp asking, "Have you heard the news?"
Guessing that I probably had not. I asked for the details and he told me of the spectacular fall of the very large oak tree right by the entrance to the church parking lot. Arriving shortly, I discovered that it was impressive even in its fallen state. By the time you read this, the road will be open; but we might have some foliage to "green" our July 5th service.
During that worship service we will be thanking the Wicht family for making it possible for us to have the corner property on which the aforementioned tree used to stand. I hope you will join us for worship, singing and dedicating this wonderful addition to our property.
And speaking of dedications, the memorial bench now has the names of those Skyland members and friends who have gone before us. Please come and see the beautiful work that the Memorial Committee has accomplished! We will dedicate the bench during worship on August 9th when we will invite the wider community to join the celebration.
These are big projects, years in the making and we have much to be grateful for together. See you there!
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Time for Jammin'!
I
t's time to make jam, jelly, pickles, and chutney for our Harvest Festival booth. Summer fruit is here and in the farmers' markets. We are looking forward to your yummy contributions, and so are our loyal shoppers!
If you have extra jars, please bring them to church. Let us know what you're planning to make.
Mary Ellen McTamaney, Julie Victorine, Jackie Seymour
Something New, Something Old at Harvest Fest;
Signups Needed - This Means YOU
With less than 3 months to go, Harvest Festival preparations have begun. In our kick-off meeting we talked about making a few changes. This year we will cluster kids' clothes, books, and toys near the other kids' activities. We also hope to have two or three credit card readers, which will make it easier for everyone.
The Silent Auction will be split between the wall outside of Whitaker Hall, and the baskets inside the church. his will make settling up at the end of the day much easier. We are also looking into offering bags again this year, and the $/bag will be a price/bag set by the booths.
Some things don't change. We will still be getting two Pods at the end of July, in preparation for sorting to begin in August. Signups began in mid-June, with enthusiastic support so far; but we could use more leaders, particularly for Donations, Publicity, Music, Lunch, the Church Silent Auction, and a number of the booths below Whitaker Hall. The sign-up sheet is posted on the Whitaker Hall bulletin board; everyone please sign up early and often.
L
et's make this another wonderful Harvest Festival.
Thanks --
Larry Cooke
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NOTE from your treasurer:
First month of fiscal year 2015-2016 financial report.
Pledge and offering gifts are each down about $1000 from planned budget; however I still need to do more massaging of the expected giving ups and downs throughout the year based on last year's bumpy road.
Here are our operating finances for
Jun. 2015 as of
June 3:
Summary of Operating Finances
Jun 2015 | Jun 1,2015 to Jun 30 Actual Planned | Actual Planned Income $ 19,432 $ 20,438 | $ 19,43 $ 20,438 Expenses $ 19,705 $ 20,150 | $ 19,705 $ 20,150 Net $ (-273) $ 288 | $ (-273) $ 288 -- Gerald J. Alonzo, Treasurer +++ |
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