A Memory or Two - 24/31

The March Slice of Life Challenge-
                            Thanks to Ruth and Stacey, at Two Writing Teachers - 24 of 31

      Tweet at #Slice2013

 “Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.”  Chad Sugg

      

       I’m going to explain one reason I bought my new house:  I love trees!  Oh, I also moved because it was a better location for me in my life right now, but there was this tree.  I knew the place was special when I drove by, and then drove by again, and each time I passed, I really didn’t see a great-looking house, I saw “the” tree. 

       The tree is a native cottonwood, over a hundred years old, and I hope it will continue to flourish.  I am looking forward to making good memories under its shade, and am excited to see how it looks when the buds are liberated.  If you’ve been a faithful reader of my blog, you know this tree; I’ve shared it already in photos in my snowy pictures.  It’s right outside my back door!

        I wish I had a photo of the tree I’m going to tell about next.  It is so vivid in my memory. I lived with my maternal grandparents until I was five.  My father was killed in action in World War Two, so mother and I moved in for a few years while she went to art school.  She was not a great artist, but a good one, and loved art all her life. 

        In my grandparent’s back yard was a maple tree. In that tree my grandfather hung a swing, just right for me, and I soon learned to climb the tree, too.  It wasn’t huge, and had easy limbs to give a boost to a little girl.  Well, the part I liked best was that there was a certain configuration of limbs that were just right for a pillow, and leaning back.  I read up there!  There aren’t many nicer things for a little girl than reading in a maple tree in the autumn, leaves blazing.

             

        There is a third tree that holds a special place in my memory.  A long time ago, so long that the students with me are now grown, some with families, I traveled to the state of Sonora, Mexico with my class.  We stayed on the ocean for a while, then drove deeper into the wilderness.  I don’t think I’ll ever be on such an adventure, and probably will never see a boojum tree again.  From my research I see that they do grow in the desert southwest, too, but this time, we were taken to the local village’s special tree.  We sat and journaled, and we held a ceremony where each of us shared some of our precious water with the tree, ensuring long life for us all.  Yes, this next picture is of that boojum tree - Fouquieria columnaris, or candlewood.  You can see some of the students sitting below it with their journals.  It was a magical tree.

           I love trees!