Well, I managed to get the avocado wrapped up yesterday morning before I went to work. Dave had to leave before me so it wound up being a solo job, but at least I had the benefit of daylight. It was perfect timing, too, because about two hours later it was snowing.
I wired a bamboo pole to the avocado's trunk, to hold the peak of the wrapping above the foliage. Then I used two more poles to lift the shroud over the top of the tree, and then clipped a second shroud around the base. Hopefully that's enough.
I considered color-correcting that photo above, because it's so blue -- but that's what the thin morning light looks like at this time of year. So I left it.
When I checked my phone a little while ago it was 30º F outside (about -1º C) and it's usually a tad warmer on the patio, so I'm optimistic. I'll leave the tree shrouded into the weekend, when it's supposed to warm up again.
I was in the Lower School when the snow started falling yesterday morning and the little kids' faces lit up like it was Christmas. Of course they're all so young they may have never seen snow before, or not remembered it, anyway. It melted as soon as it landed, but it was pretty while falling.
I read a disturbing story in The New York Times yesterday about the growth of Orthodox Christianity among young converts, who see it as a strong, masculine, demanding religious tradition. A certain strain of young, conservative men like the patriarchal structure, the beards, the emphasis on family and tradition -- and the idea that it's Christianity closer to the "source." Of course I have nothing against Orthodoxy, particularly for those who are born into it, but it's worrisome that young men seek it out for perhaps not the healthiest of reasons (and risk distorting the religion in the process). Apparently the growth of the church is partly due to online influencers, which of course makes me suspect the malign hand of certain international actors.
And now I read that young Spaniards are drawn to Franco and the Spanish government is trying to find ways to educate people about the terrors of his regime.
Is this a generational thing, a pendulum effect? People who are too young to know what authoritarianism really is, being drawn to it? What is this need for a big boss daddy, for discipline and structure? Why are kindness and compassion seen as "feminine" weakness (an inherently misogynist association)? Maybe now that we're seeing authoritarian tendencies creep into our own governments and our daily lives (at least in the USA, but potentially also in the UK with the rise of Reform) younger people will begin to see the downsides and better appreciate freedom and liberalism. Wishful thinking?
Good work on the avocado. I don't pay attention to religions and what is happening, but reading your words makes me hope this authoritarian thing doesn't really take off.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty scary. I always thought the whole point of religion was to advance kindness and compassion.
DeleteSomehow I think it is the uncertainty that has crept into the world. The need for leadership has found a rather frightening road to follow. That avocado outfit looks rather ghostlike.
ReplyDeleteI suppose there is a certain comfort in the certainty of being told what to do.
DeleteIf anyone breaks into your garden in the dark ,that wrapped plant will give them a fright!!
ReplyDeleteIt's our burglar alarm!
DeleteI’m having the same wishful thoughts. For years, it was simply not appropriate to speak of Franco here. People are now thinking that was a grave mistake. I’ve actually met one or two Franco supporters and the thought chills me to the bone. None, however, have been young although one was a child when Franco died. Can we just wrap them in shrouds until their brains thaw?
ReplyDeleteWell, the idea of people who lived through Franco wanting to return to that time is even more bizarre. I suppose they look back on it through rose-colored lenses, the way many of us view our own childhoods.
DeleteRegarding your last paragraph, I agree that worldwide trends towards authoritarianism and anti-woke harshness are most concerning. As you say, it's all probably a product of history's pendulum swinging. It shows that we should never be complacent about democracy and liberalism.
ReplyDeleteAs for the shrouded avocado tree, cut two eye holes in it and it will look like a member of the Ku Klux Klan. That should scare away the neighbourhood cats.
Oh, Lord. The last thing I want is a KKK effigy on my patio!
DeleteI agree with the other comments - that is one spooky avocado tree!
ReplyDeleteFunny, it never occurred to me that it looks spooky, but now that everyone says it I can see it!
DeleteI find the tendency you describe very worrying. It is almost self-understood (although by no means universal) that young Muslim men go for the paternalistic, strong man image, but seeing it in so-called Christians is relatively new. As a peace-loving woman who believes in God and grew up with Christian values, even though I have not been part of any organised religion since my late 20s, I just wish everybody could get along and play nice... but I know that's not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteYour ghostly avocado will scare your upstairs neighbours!
No snow yet in my area, but even though snow in town is never nice for long, my eyes light up like those children's did when I see the first snow of the season. It is a magic moment.
What I really don't understand is the kind of "battle-cry" Christianity that I see in some quarters. Some people think focusing on kindness and compassion is a perversion of the religion, and that Christianity actually calls for strength and conquest. It's like the Crusades all over again!
DeleteThat is a creepy tree now! Maybe paint eyes on it to complete the effect.
ReplyDeleteYoung men probably see orthodoxy as a way of having it their way, being centered. And I remember the Spanish exiles in the UK from Franco. And how the minute he died, they were no longer subject to arrest, so rushed back to visit. Not to stay, they'd established lives and families in the UK.
Undoubtedly Orthodoxy elevates the position of the man, so yes, I'm sure they feel it centers them. I remember traveling in Spain in the early '90s and thinking that all the older people I met had lived through Franco. It made me wonder what they'd experienced.
DeleteThat is an excellent wrappping job you did there. How will the foxes react? Any news from your camera?
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the figures, stats, about growing authoritarian youth, which I find just as worrysome as you do, I find it helps to see that wheneever there are 30% or 27% or even 35% of young people approving of authoritarian leadership, there are also 70% or 73% or still 65% not in agreement.
Yes, it's true -- the majority don't think that way. It does help to keep that perspective. But it's still surprising that a sizable minority do!
DeleteYou have gotten snow before S. Colorado ... however, I think I may see some pretty soon! 55° today with rain possible!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't snow for long. We usually don't get snow on the ground until December at least, if not January.
DeleteI guess in my opinion, it isn't that they are being drawn to a "big boss daddy, for discipline and structure" but that it is a result of our extreme divisions politically now. There is no compromise anymore, there is only we are right and you are wrong and so young people simply want to gravitate to the "team" they think is winning so they can stick it to the losing side. I also think that because younger generations seem to loathe any words of direction these days and want to be entirely independent to make their own decisions. I would think one would need to at least be willing to listen and obey to want to live in an authoritarian world.
ReplyDeleteI also take such articles as the Franco one with a large grain of salt. I find such pieces often touch upon our fears to over dramatize what is actually occurring out in the real world. Sure there are a few weirdos that adore a past Spanish authoritarian but is it really significant to worry about? I know the article said 20% of the youth but links a article in a foreign language so I don't know how they came about that figure. Maybe it is true, but without some digging, I just take my dose of salt and move on.
Interesting stuff this morning Steve!
And yet young people DO take direction from other young people, through social media. They may not like their parents telling them what to do, but if their friends tell them to support a certain cause they seem much more likely to listen. (Not a new phenomenon, admittedly.)
DeleteI don't think the paper would report it as a trend if it weren't a significant number of people. But I have more faith in the media than you do, having worked in it for so many years.
I wouldn't want to meet your avocado on a dark night! Well done for protecting it, though.
ReplyDeleteI think the appeal of orthodoxy and/or authoritarianism is cyclical, but the ability to reach so many people through media is unprecedented and very worrying.
Yeah, social media has really changed the game in terms of how information (and misinformation) is spread.
DeleteIt's a pendulum effect but also that old saying, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
ReplyDeleteAnd if they are uneducated about it!
Yeah, these are people who have no direct experience with authoritarianism, unless they happen to be immigrants from a less liberal country. They don't know what they're playing with.
DeleteThere is a push, right now in my town to rename a bridge in honor of Charlie Kirk. The idea is sickening to me.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I was reading about Jeffrey Lundgren and the Kitland cult. I suggest that you go to Wikipedia and read that, paying close attention to his teaching methods. Charlie Kirk employed the same methods. It was eerily shocking to me.
We are living in Times where cults are trying to take over.
I don't remember those Lundgren crimes at all, though I'm sure they made news at the time. I haven't read the whole article yet but I'll do it after I finish here. It definitely seems a bit rushed (at the very least) to name a bridge after Charlie Kirk!
DeleteWell done on the avocado! And I saw that article too and agree with the idea of disturbing. The whole rise of authoritarianism is scary, especially for those of us whose parents were part of the "greatest generation" and who had a very good world history background in high school or college. The media doesn't help either. I'm very concerned about our future internationally.
ReplyDeleteI am too! My parents were very focused on education and reason. I'm bewildered by this turn toward spirituality and faith (or behaviors excused by faith) that our culture seems to be taking.
DeleteI don't even pretend to have any idea why all of this stuff is going on. I've theorized about the rise of the Big Daddy Discipliner figure's popularity but it makes no sense to me. I suppose some people just want to be told how to think, how to act, what to believe and then there are always those who are just looking for conformation of their own racial and misogynist beliefs. It is no doubt related to the patriarchy. Beyond that, all I can say is that I hate it.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for getting that avocado wrapped! Who cares what it looks like? To me it looks like snuggly protection against the cold.
It is certainly easier for people to follow than to think for themselves. That's what it comes down to, I agree!
DeleteI imagine it is all about power - they want to go back to the days when men were in charge and had control of the money and the household and their women.
ReplyDeleteThere is a saying, "A rising tide raises all ships." So if we all are allowed to do well and live good lives, it improves the lives and the world for everyone. I wish they would believe that.
Absolutely! That's the whole idea behind paying taxes. Yes, you're paying out, but into an "ocean" that ideally lifts everyone. And yet there are all these people who think taxes are evil.
DeleteI've had similar thoughts about this swing toward authoritarianism. I wonder about the people who take pleasure in discrimination of others feeling that they are better is some way. They don't seem to realize how that action could easily swing in their direction for the slightest reason. Just looks at DJT. He has no problem attacking the very people who have who passionately served him.
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible to me the amount of abuse Trump's followers seem willing to take. What has he done to make their lives better? Nothing -- but they think he's the greatest just because he "owns the libs."
DeleteYou did a great job of covering your plant. Weather changes so you have to keep on covering and not covering. I wish we could cover the extreme political happenings.
ReplyDeleteDave thinks it's crazy to keep covering and uncovering, but that's what we always did in Florida. To me it's totally normal.
DeleteThe pendulum does seem to swing back and forth, doesn't it? Lets hope that we have reach the furthest point in the right swing and that things will slowly make their way back to centre.
ReplyDeleteGod, I hope so!
DeleteYour avacado tree dress looks like a garden gnome carrying a basket- do you see it?
ReplyDeleteas for younger people with no memory of fascism or authoritarianism, It might seem like "strength" to them, not realizing that it is they who will be stripped of it. Pendulum swings wildly during amnesia, it seems. Growing up in the stifling 50's - then being a teen in the 60's was quite a swing! Then Reagan and Nancy stepped in and ruined everything! so it goes, there are those of us with clear memories- a reason that all of the white haired folks in numbers showing up to protest! They seem to be the majority of people on the streets carrying signs.
I do see it! LOL
DeleteI don't know why "strength" is so fetishized. Why don't we admire compassion and kindness over strength?
The avocado tree, dressed for the cold, looks a bit Godly to me. (What a massive job for you to cover the tree!) Which flows nicely with the rest of your post.
ReplyDeleteIt appears many people are seeking/searching for identity and are drawn to cult-like organizers. I am not religious but sought a church and found one of the most liberal churches not to my liking. Cults demand strict following. Why is it that today's youth lack a sense of belonging? Does this make them prime targets? Does this represent a decline in family structure and life?
Ghost God Avocado!
DeleteThose are good questions, about a sense of belonging. I guess I did get that from my family, even though we were far from ideal. Maybe there are a lot of kids out there who feel utterly disconnected and rootless.
We just can't seem to learn the lessons from the past.
ReplyDelete"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (Santayana)
DeleteYou should have wrapped the avocado tree earlier, it makes a perfect Halloween decoration.
ReplyDeleteSo many younger folk, and the occasional much older ones who should know better, seemingly need something to belong to, or to join, it's just that too many are drawn into the wrong things these days thanks to the 'influencers' on social media.
I didn't think of the Halloween connection at all! LOL
DeleteI guess people do feel more disconnected these days, and for some that is a struggle.
It is discouraging and frightening to see and live in these authoritarian times. I blame social media for a lot of this.
ReplyDeleteI do too, but WHY does social media seem to foster this kind of thinking? Is it just because it riles people up and thus the algorithm elevates that kind of discourse? Maybe.
DeleteHey Steve, your Avocado is ready for Halloween! Albeit a bit late. :) As far as the move toward authoritarianism goes, I can only think that the people wanting this are poor students of history.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think a lot of people who are drawn to this authoritarian approach don't know their history.
DeleteI have read a theory that the move of young men towards the big-daddy school of government and religion, is due to the fact that more women are graduating from college than men. Women don't need men anymore, and men are not happy about this. These Orthodox Christian guys with their stupid beards are really looking for a woman to control.
ReplyDeleteThat does seem likely, though it's kind of a chicken-egg thing. Are men reacting to the fact that more women are in college, or are more women going to college because men are being sidelined by this fascist thinking?!
DeleteEither way, no doubt these guys DO expect to control women.
We are about to enter a heatwave, so I really feel for you (and wish I could borrow a little).
ReplyDeleteI try not to think too much about those who are drawn to yelling, angry men and being told who to hate.
It's hard for me to imagine a heatwave now!
DeleteIn my opinion, that brand of "Christianity" is not Christian in the sense of being a Christ follower. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWhen I walked at dawn this morning, it was 67F and 97% humidity. I heard more tree frogs and insects than birds. Waaaay too hot and humid for November.
And sadly, it's not a new thing. Remember that book I read a few years ago called "Jesus and John Wayne"? It was eye-opening!
DeleteWow, that is quite warm! Yes, I do remember you talking about that "Jesus and John Wayne" book. I've always meant to read it (like a lot of things).
DeleteFunny I’ve been researching the Spanish civil war recently , I know nothing about it
ReplyDeleteMost of what I know about it I learned from Hemingway!
DeleteWhat an excellent wrapping job you did on the avocado.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Somehow it worked out, though it was cumbersome!
DeleteThe covering of the avocado should keep it quite humid too, which it should like.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised there would be any thought of support for Franco. I just read earlier that his anointed successor went rogue and built Spain into a democracy.
I think even Franco's lieutenants were quite happy to see him go!
DeleteCodex: I think it's multifactorial. 70% haven't done a good job educating 30% and maybe have become too tolerant. According to some research studies there's a reduced cognitive ability and emotional intelligence in those who want a dictator.
ReplyDeleteLack of knowledge of history etc. I don't think they know what they will lose. As to the Beards and kindness being feminine...admiration for gorilla's?
That seems consistent with what I've instinctively believed -- that frankly, a lot of these authoritarian types just aren't very smart. It's much easier to follow than to think for yourself.
Delete