Remembering Vas Sr.
Today, May 16, would have been my late father’s 79th birthday. While the pain of losing your father never really goes away, I want to mention my father’s love of technical manuals.
Whenever he had free time, he would have his head buried in some sort of technical manual. I don’t remember what they were about because I was too young. One for sure was about circuit boards.
Born during the Second World War and forced to look after his many siblings in Prague, he couldn’t do well in school. His mother was a single mom with a gang of kids, several of which had different fathers. Then came communism and two kids to feed.
And yet the curiosity remained. I have a picture of him from his last visit to our North Vancouver apartment, his reading glasses on and head buried in a technical book.
Educating Vas Jr.
When I finished high school, my father strongly encouraged me to go on to university. So I did, graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Saskatchewan. Not just to please my father; I was actually fascinated by the natural world. I knew I would eventually get a green industry job.
And he also passed on his love of technical manuals. Which brings me to May 2021 and a number of great books released this spring; some I’ve already finished, others are waiting for me in paper or audio format.
The Nature of Oaks
This book by Douglas W. Tallamy is a nice exploration of oaks, the most successful tree species in North America. We learn that oaks are important keystone species and they provide habitat for insects (lots of insects!), which in turn feed our birds. They are long-lived trees and their acorns feed many animals.
Because Tallamy is an enthomologist, there is a lot of information about insects. He built the book chapters on his monthly observations of an oak tree on his property.
Lessons from Plants
Beronda L. Montgomery also puts an interesting spin on her book. At the end of each chapter, she takes the lessons we learn from plants and applies them to people. For example, plants cooperate and they make budgets depending on their current situation. This applies to people as well. Cooperation between people is important and so is budgeting one’s resources.
This pocket-sized hardcover book is a treat. The references in the back are a treasure by themselves.
In Defense of Plants
If your idea of plant reproduction is a bee landing on a flower, Dr. Matt Candeias will open your eyes. Plant sex and reproductive strategies are varied and sometimes bizarre. Get ready to have some fun with this book.
Plants are important!
The rest of my May reading list
Books by the great English gardener Christopher Lloyd are getting released in North America and I am just now discovering his writing. So far I have three of his books and he’s my kind of guy.
Marc Hamer has a new book out called Seed to Dust. Since the book takes time to ship from the UK, I opted for the audio version which is slightly cheaper. When I can’t get something the next day with Amazon Prime, I develop a rash.
This book is based on Hamer’s estate gardening gig and I always thought those were awesome jobs. Just like being a gardener for a Hollywood star.
Tree Story by Valerie Trouet introduces you to the science of dendrochronology (tree-ring assessment). I collected tree core samples as an undergraduate in the Canadian Rockies so it’s not all news to me but tree ring data is nicely combined with climate data to see what happened in the past.
Sadly, when I was an undergraduate, I was fascinated by landforms not just trees, so I studied physical geography.
Conclusion
Whatever your passion is, I’m sure there is a manual you can read. And pass this learning habit onto others, the way my father did. With so many plant books coming out in May 2021, I’m beaming!
Never stop learning.
