Trees.

I love trees.  Not Rule 34 kind of love but a profound respect and fascination for them.

Trees can be used for so many things.  Furniture, houses, ladders, artwork, fuel, cooking supplies, fruits and nuts from the right ones, shade (this is Texas and the temp is around 95), are just some things they can be used for.  When the English explorers hit the new world they started cutting down trees to use as masts for boats.  One of the first exports out of the new world was trees.

This chair was designed or made by Belter, if you know of him you know of his genius, if you don't look on in awe.  I'm not a big fan of the rococo style, but damn, that is beautiful.  Beautiful and functional.

Some pieces of artwork are not as functional, does that make them less or more beautiful?  My father was a woodturner and this bowl (he didn't turn this one) is similar to what he liked doing.  Now look at the thorns on a honey locust tree.  The thorns can be up to 4-5" long.  I was talking to my brother (also a woodturner) and I mentioned how the honey locust would be a beautiful bowl even with the thorns left on.  Cut a slice out of the log and turn it with the thorns on it.  Functional?  Nope.  Beautiful?  I hope so.  Hard to turn without staining it with your own blood?  Probably.  Even if the grain is ugly and/or boring it would be beautiful because it was hard as hell to turn.  Apparently you can even eat the seed pods, more functional than most other woods.

About the only thing you couldn't do with this tree is put a fort in it.  You could, but only if you hate your kids.  

So what can we do with trees?  Furniture, houses, art, and even food.  I know you can do the same with plastic (yes, you can find food with plastics in them) but where is the soul in plastic?  Even when the artist puts their soul in their work it can't compete with wood.  

Go out and plant a tree today.  Or if that's not in the cards why don't you sit under one and read a book, or paint one, or just look at one and see the beauty in it.