“If you want more kindness in the world, put it there.” ~ Unknown
Stacy and I took a walk last fall during one of my visits to Lowell’s to have the car serviced. We’ll just call them “Lowell’s Walks” from now on. We headed down the block to Doodles for breakfast, and as we passed below the leafless trees in front of Sayer School, we noticed the ground littered with what looked like pecan shells or peach pits. Neither of us could recognize the tree by its bark alone. We were certain they weren’t peach trees, and it’s just too far north for pecan trees as far as I know. At least I’ve never seen a mature pecan tree north of Louisiana that I recall. Some branches even looked to have thorns, though they were clearly too long to be actual thorns. I have thought about that tree a number of times since that walk because we were genuinely stumped. On my Lowell’s Walk this past Tuesday I passed beneath the trees again, but this time the answer was revealed. They’re Ginkgo Trees, and not just any Ginkgo trees, but female Ginkgos. Apparently, when the nuts ripen and fall, the skins stink to high heaven but the nut itself is edible. Who knew! And look how full of fruit this tree is. I’m sure I looked like an idiot standing there staring at this tree in awe, mouth gaped open catching flies, but so be it. I love nature and I really, really love Ginkgo trees. I love them even more now.
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