I’ve amended it, but for most of the day, yesterday, a typographical error on my avatar said “Be like the blackjack leaf, keep holing on.” It ought to have said, as it does now, “…keep holding on.”
I’m sorry if this was offensive. It was, indeed, accidental.
I thought you were giving advice on golf. 
It was a reference to blackjack trees’ tendency to hold onto their dead leaves throughout winter. I need to start paying better attention.
Umm, not offensive at all, Walden.
I thought it was a reference to card-playing. Blackjack, you know. A hole-in-one. Had a nice time trying to figure that out. And how fall leaves fit in. Ah! The holes! No . . . oh, hmm . . .
I thought it was a reference to whistle playing!
I saw an oak tree in an apartment complex that I lived in a couple
years ago, which kept its leaves all winter (they turned brown, but
didn’t fall off). I started to think maybe all oaks did this, and was
going to observe this fall to see if that hypothesis holds out. Is it
just the Blackjack Oak that does this?
Most oaks have leaves that are ‘persistent’ (that’s the technical forestry term!).
Pin oaks around here keep a lot of their leaves most of the winter.
Which pine tree loses their needles every year?
Edit: Ah! Found it. The Tamarack.
Which pine tree loses their needles every year?
I’d like to apologize that I don’t know the answer. I’d like to further apologize that I don’t care what the answer is.
Best, John
OK then, go ahead and apologise.
I thought it had to do with whistles and that these oak trees had lots of woodpecker holes or something. 
It did seem to be phrased a little oddly.
I’m considering changing my sig to
“I apologize in advance for any insult I have made in this post, real or imaginary”
You should follow suit Walden.
Isn’t that another way of saying “I’m too lazy to check this post to see if it might upset anyone”?
Oops, that was a bit harsh. I could do with an apology emoticon.
I’d like to - just can’t bring myself to do so.
Sorry.
Oops! Damn!
Best, John
I thought it was a particularly unsavoury reference to molasses, and was deeply offended. I do not accept apologies, but will consider cash.
djm
Cane molasses or sorghum?
Yeah, pin oaks seem to keep a lot of leaves, though my yard was full of pin oak leaves a few days ago.
A good caning … oops! … I mean … er … 
djm
I wish I knew the difference between blackjacks and pin oaks. I feel so ignorant around all these tree-smart people.
I do know the ginko from other trees, though, simply because its leaves turn bright yellow all at the same time. 
You’d care if one lived in your yard…
We have one in our yard and my husband hates it. It drops lots of needles, and long thin branches with little pinecones attached all over them. I used to think of it as a mild pain but less so than a maple. Now I think of it as sort of like a crusty old geezer, I’d miss it if it were gone.
Robin