Ginkgo Leaves

"Amy's house was a high red brick one. In front of it there was a tall and graceful ginkgo tree whose roots made the worn red bricks of the sidewalk bulge and whose branches fanned the sky. The ginkgo tree has little leaves shaped like fans that Amy and Clarissa liked to press and give to their dolls. The fruit of this tree is orange, but it is not good for eating. It has an odd fragrance that grownups do not like but that children do not mind, for it makes them think of fall and Halloween."

From The Witch Family, by Eleanor Estes

OK, so most of what that passage says about ginkgo trees isn't true. I like their smell (although I'm pretty sure I qualify as a grownup), and I also like ginkgo nuts. But this is one of my favorite childhood books, and that will always be the quintessential description of ginkgos for me. (Also, I wish I lived in Amy's house.)

There aren't many ginkgo trees where I live now, but every fall I get homesick for the trees in my hometown. Right about now they are showering the streets with golden leaves, and people are busy picking up their fruits to eat or sell. Meanwhile I'm doing all of my gleaning on Etsy.

(Images, reading to the right and down: Ginkgo Earrings, $13 from ColorMeBella; Three Gingko Necklace, $200 from Katnfiddle; Gingko, $34 from Archaicdesign; The Gingko Cuff - Yellow Brass - Made to Order, $44 from Bijoutiful; Ruby-Crowned Kinglet Linocut in Bright Red, $20 from BirdNerd; Orange and Pink Ginkgo Pillow Cover, $20 (on sale!) from Appetitehome; amazing 8x8 Yellow Ginkgo Leaf Wall Plaque, $30 from Jonathanshuff; Tourmaline Ginkgo Leaf Earrings set in Sterling Silver, $225 from Beaucoupdebijoux; Ginkgo Leaf Pendant, $40 from Gingko; Orange Ginkgo Letterpress Stationery, $15 from Satsumalynn; Ginkgo Leaf Ring, $34 from Esdesigns; Hammered Copper Ginkgo Leaf Pendant, $25 from Knitsteel.)

Ginkgo, gingko, ginkgo ... if you type it enough times, both spellings start to look wrong.