Getting Fancy...

Today I'll be making some serious decisions about what I'll be wearing on Friday and Saturday for our granddaughter's wedding. (I know. More "last minute" from Donna.) Our 100 year old maple is getting a head start.

She's already starting to turn the glorious orange-red we've come to look forward to every fall. I think it's early this year, but it's so beautiful I'll take it anyway.

This tree stands taller than our farmhouse, and every spring she houses squirrels with litters of babies. They play among her branches until they're old enough to venture out on their own, and some have already returned to collect and store nuts from the nearby hickory trees.

I've listened to owls hooting from her branches as I fall asleep at night, or blue jays scolding the dogs or cats when they're outside. She's home, or a resting spot for other bids, too. Hawks and even an eagle sat on a high branch looking in my bedroom window this summer!

She is the mother tree whose roots and canopy communicate with all the trees around her, and I speak to her every time I'm in our front yard. I have even shared a special experience with her - believe it or not.

Have you ever watched "Trees" starring Dame Judi Dench? It's a visual and audio accounting of how trees communicate with each other and their surroundings. Then I've watched a few other videos about the health and psychological benefits of being a "tree hugger". I found myself trying to duplicate those experiences with our maple.

I love being barefoot, inside and outdoors. I try grounding techniques when I'm in our yard - an intake of earth's healing energies. I do this year round, and it's not unusual to even see me barefoot in the snow when I take the labs outside.

On one particular day this past summer, when the breeze was nearly imperceptible, I decided to try my own experiment from a video I'd watched.

I went and stood about a foot from the lowest branch on the tree. (I admit I did move a slight few inches closer during the event.) By the time I was finished, I was in tears.

As I stood there facing our maple, I began speaking softly. I told the tree how important she is - to us, our yard, and everything around her. I told her how beautiful and special she is. And then, I began my experiment.

I told her it would be okay with me - no, I'd be honored - if she wanted to reach out and touch me. I know. This is the part where you're beginning to question following this Nature Girl's blog all this time.

I continued speaking in a soft voice, when I noticed a change. The branch began to slowly move. Not the way the wind moves it. It was deliberate, slow movement toward me. I stood as still as possible so I wouldn't taint my experiment.

I stood there for nearly five minutes, talking to our tree, until she eventually covered my face with her leaves. I swear to you this is true. I was literally in tears as this happened. (I even did this a second time so Handsome could be my witness!)

I stood there a bit longer, and then thanked Mother Maple. I moved forward to her trunk, wrapped my arms around her and thanked her as tears fell down my cheeks. Then, I thanked my Dad for teaching me to notice and love the outdoors with all my heart and soul.

I hope you don't mind me sharing this experience, for in doing so, I've exposed the very essence of who I am with you.

I'll be going outside soon to talk with Mother Maple again to tell her how much I love her autumn attire. I want to let her know before she releases all of her leaves and withdraws her lifeblood to her roots in preparation for another winter.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story today. Perhaps when you're in your quiet frame of mind, you'll seek out a tree on a windless day and try my experiment for yourself. If you do, please send me a message to tell me what happened between you and "your" tree. I'd love to hear about it. 

Handsome is having breakfast with a friend this morning. I worked from 6 am until 2 pm yesterday, so I'm recuperating today. I'm going to take care of the girls, and when Handsome gets back,  I'm going to try on the dresses I purchased as "possibles" for this weekend. I'll have him take pictures so you can see what I was (or wasn't) thinking.

I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off the rest of this week, so I can focus on our most important family event. Thanks again for being here today. Sending hugs to you all.

I Did This Again...

So, this is how we ended our Saturday. I processed apples Linda P from Portage had gifted me, while Handsome washed dishes and did cleanup. 

Handsome had cleaned, cut them up and put them in the Nesco to cook down while I baked. When we finished mowing, we ate dinner and watched the first of the playoff games for the Milwaukee Brewers. That game ended at 11 pm. Then, we canned applesauce. We turned out the lights and went to bed at 1:30 am.

I'd say we're nuts, but we do have more applesauce to show for our efforts.

Nah. We're nuts.

PS. Linda collects pig knick knacks and gifted this happy soul to me, by the way. I love it.

What I Gave Up...

I told you that Saturday would be a baking day. It was. It was also mowing day. That was perfectly timed, because even though there was no rain in the forecast, we did get rain showers late Saturday evening.

The bread was in the oven, and Handsome and I each rode our lawn tractors to get the mowing done in half the time it takes one of us alone. I had a timer in my pocket, so I'd know when to go in, take out the baked loaves, and rotate the other loaves into the oven.

As I rode around cutting "my" portion of the yard, I took photos of my late afternoon view. The sky was stunning, and I noticed the leaves are already beginning to turn. 

As I mowed around this old, now-falling-down fence, I found myself contemplating what it looked like when we bought this property.

This was part of the original fence and garden. There was a gorgeous, huge bleeding heart bush. There were irises and other flowers that blossomed spring through summer.

But, I'm no gardener, and although I tried keeping it cleaned up, once the stinging nettles (which give me a bad reaction) showed up, I threw in the towel. Andy came down and pulled the nettles once, but they quickly returned. So my fencerow went wild under my watchful, albeit neglectful eye.

I've observed the fencerow this summer. By letting it go, what happened is actually quite lovely. While there are still a few hardy daffodils and irises, the planted (civilized) flowers have otherwise disappeared.

What has replaced them are black raspberries planted by the birds that used to sit on the fencer. There are thick, wild vines that now obscure most of the old fence. There are sweet ox-eye daisies, Queen Anne's lace, chickory, creeping Charlie, and milkweed plants in their place. 

Where I rarely saw birds nesting, they are now sheltered by the riot of natural plants. They flutter from the bird feeders back to the fencerow, and sing to each other the whole time. When we get weather - be it rain or snow - I frequently see the little birds huddled under the branches for warmth or protection.

Mice, voles, ground squirrels, and other wee mammals share the space. I see them at my feeders, too  

Sunday morning I looked out to see a woodchuck dining on the birdseed I put out for the turkey. It's okay. All critters are welcome to visit, and while I invite them to linger, most aren't impressed with my co-hosts Bella, Carly, Claudette, and Crystal. (I purposely keep the cats indoors until nightfall to protect the birds and other small animals that are out during the days.) 

Have you noticed the change? We have here at the farmhouse.

So you see, I didn't really give up anything. Mother Nature is a much better gardener than I, and she's now provided beauty in another form for us, while also providing shelter and safety for other creatures. It turns out that, once again, nature knows best.