Thursday – A Little Personal – Olive Concerns

~ John W. Howell

Twiggy and Lucy photos.

“I can see you have some concerns, Little One.”

“I have been thinking of that olive tree that got frozen this winter.”

“What about it?”

“Sometimes these things come back.”

“But the boss already got a new magnolia to go in that spot.”

“Look. Just as I figured. Little green shoots.”

“You sure you aren’t seeing things?”

“No. Over there I’m seeing things but not on the tree.”

“I’ll be darned. You are right. The tree is alive.”

“What do we do about it?”

“I guess we should let the boss know that the olive still lives.”

“Good idea. Of course, what do you think he will do?”

“The man won’t even kill an ant, so I think he will want to do something.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

“Here he comes. Let me handle this.”

“You are way better at breaking news, Lucy.”

“Hey, Dad. This olive tree is still alive. What are you going to do about it?”

“Cheese, Twiggy.”

“Thank you, Twiggy. I know that and we are trying to figure out a place for it.”

“What happened to me handling it?”

“You know me. Impulsive to a fault.”

“I guess he already has the situation under advisement.”

“Yeah, and he knew about the olive too.”

103 thoughts on “Thursday – A Little Personal – Olive Concerns”

  4. ‘The man won’t even kill an ant…’..nothing gets past your girls, John. I enjoyed your interview and hearing you speak. Much love flowing to you and your girls. ❤ Xx

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Not even an ant in the heart of Texas? Even if it’s an exaggeration, that image brought a smile. Great dialogue, John. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Oh, olive trees are so lovely. I hope it revives. Surely there’s room for it and the magnolia. Thank goodness the girls were so alert! LOL Sending belly rubs to both of them.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. While olive trees are nice and all… magnolia are magnificent! What colour did you get? I’ve seen the more common pink but we have a few here that are yellow and I saw a white one this spring too! My dream is to have one, though I cannot for the life of me figure out where to put it!

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  14. Aww, they’re so concerned. I love that. And I love that the olive tree survived. Fingers crossed you’ll be able to coax it back to full health, John. I know the girls will be keeping tabs on it and cheering you on.

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  17. I have a customer with an olive grove. Last year, it produced beautifully. This year? Not so much. But, he’s far enough south (Montgomery county) that most of the trees made it. Exactly how many will still take time to determine, but at least he didn’t lose them all. Maybe he should borrow the girls to sniff around for signs of life!

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  21. Sorry about that olive tree. Twiggy was ever hopeful. We planted a magnolia in our side yard years ago – my daughter insisted. But it was totally consumed by deer!

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  22. Still alive does not always translate to gonna thrive. We have a lilac tree that is dancing on the line. And dancing is probably too optimistic a word. It has new leaves this year except they are sparse. And so far not much sign of new growth. Time to wait and see. Tell those two inspectors good job and more cheese.

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  23. I had hoped the olive tree would make it after that freeze, but I see in the comments it didn’t work out. Sorry.

    I am looking forward to seeing your birthday tree soon!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. The girls know nothing gets past Dad! Sorry your olive bit the dust, but it was a bad year for lots of things. I’m looking forward to the Magnolia though!

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  25. Those girls don’t miss anything! I think a magnolia tree will be a good replacement. I am sure they girls will help you take good care of them. And you will still have lovely white blooms.

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  28. No amount of hope or prayer is bringing out an olive from that tree. So sad. On our SF bay home property we had a stand of olive trees I loved. Great border trees as they grew and grew. No olives, though. Huh… maybe Twiggy got ’em/

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  30. “The man wouldn’t kill an ant.” You must have a lot of insects running around your place.🤣
    This series is always great, John!

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  34. I see from the comments that your olive did not survive. So sorry about that, but, yeah, circle of life and all. Magnolias are wonderful trees, and pretty tough from what I’ve observed out here. Good luck with the planting!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Welcome!
        LOL! I referred to them as vicious guard dogs somewhere out here. We should keep up appearances, after all. I mean you wouldn’t want anyone to think just because they are adorable that they could break into your yard or home! 😉

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