Tu b'Shevat 5770

May trees continue to be a blessing upon the earth.

Tu b'Shevat in 1 Day

Tu b'Shevat is just one day away!
Tu b'Shevat links including information about Tu b'Shevat sedars:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_Bishvat

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday8.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3264/jewish/Tu-BShevat.htm

Tu b'Shevat in 2 Days

Tu b'Shevat arrives as sap begins to flow again in the trees (in Israel). Here in New Hampshire, that might not be happening just yet, but when it does, we will see the harvest of yet another tree product: maple syrup! May you have a sweet holiday.

Tu b'Shevat in 3 Days

Even as we cut them apart or cut them down, trees keep giving.

• Tree stumps for tables.
• A new home and food for ants and termites.
• Raw materials for ground cover, mushrooms, compost, shoe polish, and toothpaste.
• Bark and roots for baskets.
• Paper for books, giftwrap, and art.
• Cork for bulletin boards, floors, and quiet.
• Wood for buildings, homes, furniture, and baseball bats.
• Ancient resin for amber.
• Firewood for heat, light, and spirit.
• And more than you might imagine

Tu b'Shevat in 4 Days

Trees heighten our experience of the seasons -- blossoms in the spring, shade in the summer, color in the fall, and stark beauty in the winter. They remind us that change is inevitable.

As before, a previously posted image was edited wtih a few keystrokes on IrfanView to make something new.

Tu b'Shevat in 5 Days

Even in the stillness of winter, when trees appear to be doing nothing, they continue to provide shelter and oxygen, and hold the earth in place with their roots.

This image was created from yesterday's image with just a few keystrokes and free software -- IrfanView.

Tu b'Shevat in 6 Days

Trees provide uncountable beauty in our world. Perhaps the tree varieties are finite but the variations between trees in one variety is without limit; the variation within the life of each tree is without limit. As a tree moves throughout the day, it changes constantly. And, I am only talking about what we see above ground. Don't forget all that happens inside the tree trunk and the roots. The beauty of trees is beyond measure.

This is yesterdays image with just one change on IrfanView -- a few simple keystokes.

Tu b'Shevat in 7 Days

Trees cool the earth by giving off moisture and provide the oxygen that keeps us alive.

This is a further edtion of yesterday's image. Little of the original image (from January 19) remains -- just enough to see they are related. This was a lot of fun to creaste and represents the height of my IrfanView skills. I have so much to learn.

Tu b'Shevat in 8 Days

Trees provide homes for many creatures -- birds, squirrels, insects. They also provide nutrients to fungus and mushrooms. Trees also provide a wide array of fruit. In biblical times, fruit could not be taken from a tree until it was four years old. In essence, Tu b'Shevat standardizes the birthday of all trees.

This image began as a bulletin board collaboration with the 2005 students at Temple Beth Jacob Sunday School. I took the color edit shown on Sunday January 24, 2010 and did a lot of editing via IrfanView.
This was a great opportunity to hone my skills using IrfanView's free software. Some of the animals and plants are gone but the mushrooms have multiplied!

Tu b'Shevat in 9 Days

Tu b'Shevat is the date from which we count the age of a tree -- a fact that is needed for several reasons, one being tithing.

As described yesterday and the day before, this image started as a photo of a bulletin board. I made the tree trunk, branches and leaves; the 2005 Sunday School students at Temple Beth Jacob, Concord, NH decorated the leaves and made the animals, etc.; the color edit was done using IrfanView.

Tu b'Shevat in 10 Days

Shevat is one of the months in the Jewish calendar. In Hebrew, the number 15 is made with two letters whose numeric value adds up to 15; together, they spell out the sound "tu" hence Tu b'Shevat means the 15th of Shevat.

This is a color-adaptation (via IrfanView) of yesterday's posting. I made the bulletin board tree and the decorations are by the 2005 Sunday School classes at Temple Beth Jacob, Concord NH.

Tu b'Shevat in 11 Days

Tu b'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, will be here in ten days. Five years ago, I did a bulletin board project with the local Sunday school around this holiday. The image above is a color-altered version of our finished product. I made the bulletin board tree trunk, branches, and leaves, the 2005 Sunday School students at Temple Beth Jacob, Concord NH made the decorations; color alterations were done via IrfanView.

Tu b'Shevat 2007/5768

The size, shape, color, and lushness of this nearly 300 year old live oak makes my heart shudder with awe . . . not to mention my envy of small animals that may scamper over and lounge upon its leafy branches. Click on the photo for a better look. This tree lives half way between New Orleans and Baton Rouge at Oak Alley Plantation. I'm no fan of plantations as slavery is what made them possible, but the sheer number of ancient and enormous oaks all in this one place is amazing. Some branches on these trees are so long they trail along the ground; sometimes requiring propping up. Anita Shreve wrote "The Weight of Water," but it's the weight of oak that's on my mind. This shot was taken pre-Katrina, September 2003, to be exact. Here are some shots of the same locale before Katrina and the day after. The trees suffered minimal damage but the tourism industry is floundering.
Shot on a Canon PowerShot S230; edited on IrfanView.

Tu b'Shevat 2005/5766

Two years ago, I led a Sunday school bulletin board project for Tu b'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for Trees. I made the tree and the students embellished it. Click on the photos to see close ups of two bird nests, a butterfly, a woodpecker, a blueberry bush, and more. I love children's artwork!