Evening of Destruction

                 EVENING OF DESTRUCTION

                      (Part three of Where the Willow Tree Grows)

Another Scorching August day was thankfully fading. A breeze was beginning to stir, and preparations were once again underway for a lovely summer gathering under the willow tree. This was a special evening! Bob and Denise had brought everything for dinner. Ribs to BBQ on the grill, fresh green beans with bacon, and Bob had spent hours that afternoon painstakingly preparing a favorite potato salad his Mother used to make! It was a labor of love, and a thing of beauty as he slipped it into the fridge! As if this wasn't enough food, we of course had trays of Bernie's Secret Garden delights, tonight, she had even included a plate of chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce!

 Bob and Ric put the ribs on the grill, we girls load up with all offerings from the kitchen, which as usual..takes several trips ..( Bernie has resorted to loading up as much as possible in bags.)...

Chandelier in the Willow Tree

    (continued from "Where the Willow Tree Grows.")

 

 

This beautiful willow tree graces the little farm on Emma Lane.

 As I was sharing with you in part one of this story, it began 30 some years ago when Ric and Bernie stuck two tiny little willow twigs in a bucket of water. The roots filled the bucket, then were placed side by side in the ground, they grew together entwining into one magnificent giant!

At the end of this late summers day, the sun sinks behind the hills painting the sky pink and gold.The long graceful branches dance in the cooling evening breeze, inviting us to come.....

Hearts are glad as we friends bustle about in the kitchens gathering up all the special culinary delights lovingly prepared earlier in the day by Bernie. 

 Fancy trays of strawberries with dip, tiny crackers with Bernie's Mint Jelly, seasonal offerings from the garden, Ric's smoked cheeses...

and SOMEtimes… Bernie makes a fancy tray of tiny bologna sandwiches, on white bread cut in little triangles, crust off… my FAVORITE!

Mind you… I don't eat white bread and my bologna eating days disappeared with my childhood

 but I'm telling you...

 under this tree they seem to be food of the gods!

Last but certainly not least..

The champagne arrives wrapped in ice and shining silver!

We all settle under the tree to enjoy its shelter from the sun and the outside world.

Pleasant conversation among friends blends with the evening calling of the turtle doves and the beginning of the crickets chorus.

The Wrens flit in and out of their gourd birdhouses overhead reminding us...

It is time to add the ethereal glow of

 the Chandelier !

I found there was only ONE way to share the magical glow of a Chandelier in a Willow tree, (and I really wanted to… because after all… how many of you have ever sat under a chandelier in a tree??)

So onto the ground I went.

As I enjoyed the hard work of this particular photo shoot, I realized there was a missing bobeche on our beloved chandelier!

"BOBECHE...!!!"

Who says that??

This word makes me laugh out loud every time I say it, or even think of it!! I had to look it up on google to even know how to spell it! It is a French word and is the glass collar that sits beneath the bulb and holds the glass prisms on a chandelier.

Who knew.

I noticed that there was one missing, and it was really bugging me..messing up my flat-on-my-back shots!

Now that YOU see it… it bugs you too, right?

My friend Denise and I agree, we must replace it! We decide to get one for Bernie's Birthday and have it up for our next tree gathering in a few days. Where in the world do you shop for a Bobeche?? (I just put that line in because I wanted to say it one more time .)

 By now, Ric has started a fire in his fire pit with bundles of willow twigs he gathers, ties up with twine and keeps stacked by the barn. (On occasion, he will grill thick steaks over the flame for our dinner!)

The harmonica is brought out, Rick Service Stories are recited,  Old stories are brought back to life, new stories are shared.

 Our laughter rings out over the cooling pastures as time is suspended under the tree, the outside world turning midnight blue.

Under this beloved tree, many have been refreshed and encouraged.

And the laughter, OH my goodness the laughter!!

Tears have been shed, friendships mended,and prayers have filtered up through the knowing branches,who have heard it all, yet hold it all secret. Which must be why Bernie calls it her Secret Garden.

Yes.

 Our time under the Beloved Willow tree is always perfect.

Except for that ONE night.

(to be continued..."Evening of destruction")

Where the Willow Tree Grows

Where do you go when your heart longs for home but there is no home in which to return?

I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the country. We were poor, our family never owned a home, living in 7 different places. I have fond memories of every one of them; fields and creeks, barns and tree houses, cats, dogs, horses, cows, chickens and ducks. How I wish I could return to my favorite spot in the hayloft , or show my grand kids the rickety raft tied at the edge of the pond, or  the tree house my brother built in the big tree above the creek....

My parents divorced years ago, dad has since passed away and my dear mother is in a nursing home.

Before you stop reading this sad tale, please come with me to my adapted home, that feeds my country-heart longings.

Come with me to Emma Lane, where my friends Ric and Bernie have lived and loved each other for 38 years!   When my country loving roots need nourished, I am blessed to be welcomed here!  I am greeted with warm hugs and the heavenly smells of Bernie's Pot Roast, which is THE best I have ever had! ( Sorry Mom)

The front porch swing creaks in the breeze that is scented with honeysuckle. Almost every seat inside the house and along the back porch are rocking chairs! 24 of them! Ric says the only thing that doesn't rock in this place is the music!

HOME SWEET HOME!

Where late summer flowers ramble freely over fences,

Gooseberries hang heavy, just daring you to taste....

and 28 birdhouses nestled here and there make for some happy birds who all sing their chorus of thanks in the early morning!

 I wander through the garden picking the last of the raspberries, I marvel at the size of the rhubarb plant, and wonder if tonight's dinner will include Bernie's amazing rhubarb pie! There are pumpkins unable to hide their orange as they grow fatter under the tangle of leaves

Out in the pasture under the bridge, Farmer Ric has planted Squash and Zucchini where they ramble with abandon!

I look back from the pasture at this little home I love, and smile at the thought of my bedroom , with windows flung wide open, where tonight when I crawl under the Chenille bedspread, the cold night  air smelling of fresh cut hay, will float over me like a dream from my childhood, complete with dogs barking in the distance, and the "chht chht chht" of sprinklers....The covey of turtle doves  alongside the house whisper soothing coos throughout the night...

I am brought back from my daydream as I gaze upon the giant willow tree, which is after all the center of this special place, not to mention the star of my story!

  

 

Thirty years ago...Ric and Bernie stuck two willow branches in a bucket of water. The roots soon sprouted, the twigs were stuck in the earth....It has withstood storms of wind, ice and snow.

When the sun goes down..... the chandelier hanging low in its branches begins to glow , the crickets begin their song,

and  that my friends...

is when the magic happens.....

to be continued.

( Chandelier in the Willow Tree)

 



 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Foxes or Snakes

    My little friend Lori walks our path several times a day. In fact that is where we met, we have walked it many, many times together. Nobody has walked this path, or knows it better than Lori. When this girl tells me something about the path, I believe it.

      Last spring she announced to me that there were ticks in the tall grass on the sides of the trail from spring to fall and that while laying in her bed the night before, she had found one crawling up her leg. I took this news so seriously, that when returning from our walk, I would completely strip in the garage (apologies to the neighbors) and run to the shower! The clothes would stay out there  for the day in a heap, giving all ticks opportunity to exit the premises.

     Summer goes by.

     I stay on the dirt path and out of the grass, with exception of a couple brazen dashes to a tree to grab a bird nest (because seriously… who can resist a good bird nest?) I really, really, don't like ticks. If you have ever had one of the things attached to you or your child… you hear what I'm saying!! Ew!

    My son came home from camp when he was a kid. Hanging from his chest, filled with his blood was a big fat tick! He came out of the bathroom yelling… "Moooom!!! What IS this??" Like any mature parent, I went screaming to the neighbors for help cause, I wasn't touching it!

Nope. Don't like ticks.

    Recently Lori and I had lunch together. As she calmly took a bite of her chick pea salad, she says to me; "You know that there are a couple of four foot long snakes that live on the path… right?"
My toes instantly curl up in my sandals, both my hands have slapped the sides of my face and my mouth is hanging wide open as I gasp in horror at this terrifying revelation!

  "NO!! Say it isn't so! Not our beloved path... our path has robins, and finches and deer and turtles and foxes… how did SNAKES enter into this peaceful place??!!" Just saying the word has curled me up in the fetal position! "How do you know this terrible thing?"
I was pretty sure I did not want to hear her answer! She told me  anyway.

 Apparently she and a friend were coming around the bend before the lake, when he pointed out there was a large snake hanging in the willow tree, (AUUGH!!!) which caused them almost to step on the large one that was stretched out across the path at their feet!!!  (AUUGH!!!) She told me not to worry. that if we came upon one while walking together, she would simply pick it up and fling it back into the grass! The visual this creates in my mind has just been entered into my nightmare file for all time.

I have had nightmares all my life about them, used to jump from the center of my room to my bed… just in case one was underneath. I realize some of you may like snakes. One of my best friends likes snakes. WE… are not from the same planet! Anything that has the words slither, hiss, fang, in its description… are you kidding me? If I would have come upon that dangling snake in the tree, I would have thought I was eye to beady eye with the devil himself!! (Hey! I've read Genesis chapter 3, this guy is bad news! If I would have been Eve, I would have high-tailed it in reverse so fast the apple would not have been eaten!)

     When I was in high school, I stayed with my best friend more than I was home. Now Jean was a prankster with a capitol P! She would spend hours planning schemes, building contraptions, just to scare the dickens out of me. (I know you are asking the question… "then why did you stay there?")

     One Friday night, I went into her  bathroom to shower before going to the football game, locking the door behind me, because I'm telling you the girl cant be trusted!
 I am lathering up my hair with Herbal Essence Shampoo when just I get this feeling.....
I open my eyes just a teensy and at the same moment I SEE the
snake dangling in front of my eyes, it BUMPS me in the forehead! Flailing and screaming, shampoo burning through my eyeballs to my brain, I wrestle my way through the shower curtain to the floor outside of tub, where I of course, find Jean laying on the floor in hysterics holding a rubber snake on a stick. Jean knows how to pick locks.

 Now it seems I have gotten off track of my story by sharing a bit of my snake history… so back to the present situation.

     Am I still going to walk this path every day with my friend the snake slinger?… or switch to dragging my dog through the paved streets of our neighborhood…

I decide to put on my big girl snake proof panties and hit the trail as usual.

  This first day back was different though. Instead of wandering along with my head in the clouds, watching the sun rising in all its glory, watching for the fox, or the deer, hearing the birds sing, smelling the cool morning air... I was watching for a SNAKE laying across my path by golly!!

With toes curled tightly in my shoes, I kept my eyes in the dirt, glancing up now and then, just in case there was a low hanging reptile swinging from a tree, that would bump into my forehead (thanks for that, Jean.)  

 Relief swept over me as I rounded the dreaded bend and made it  

through the snake infested zone.

I glanced up and there in the field were the two fox pups sitting side by side, just watching me. I went to pull out my camera, but when I looked up they were gone. A fellow path walker came around the corner all excited and grinning from ear to ear… "Did  you see the 6 deer back there?!"                                                 

I sadly replied "no." I did not admit I had my eyes on the dirt watching for cobras or pythons. The sun had now risen high and hot. I had missed the sunrise too.

I was once accused by a friend of "living in my happy little world" and not realizing all the frightening things that were going on around me on the planet.

 I do know.

I watch the news.

But, I can't stay there.

Those of you who move and shake the world, I thank you.

But if I focus too long on the frightening, the poisonous, the hissing,

I miss the beauty and peace and joy of a simple life. Right here. Right now.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

Philippians 4:4

One Green Gift

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.      

James 1:17 

As my sneakers hit the path this early August morning, the clouds of dust that rose from each step I took reminded me that although it was cool at 6:45 am it would soon climb to be in the mid 90's. Dry. Dusty. Hot. I am tired. of. Summer.

*SIGH*

I decide to inspire myself and turn my attitude into gratitude on this new day and pull out my iPhone to try to capture a few signs of fall.

I see leaves on the ground but know they have just given up trying to stay green and have fallen because they are tired of summer too.

I also begin my morning conversation with God. I thank him for a new day, the beauty I am walking in, pray for my family and friends… but as usual, I am so easily distracted. By the edge of the pond, I see hints of fall, yellow wildflowers and fat cattails at waters edge, sunflowers nodding their happy heads.

Oh yes Lord… now where was I?… I talk and talk some more trying to pause every now and then and listen, but the talking; it is always easier than listening. Then familiar thoughts start swarming around my head like flies…

Who am I that He would hear me? Maybe He isn't listening because you aren't listening…

What have you done for Him lately anyway? Maybe He doesn't even see you. You are insignificant in His Grand Scheme of things…

*SIGH*

I stop at a young tree that is holding a nest I had spotted weeks ago, knowing that it was going to end up on my porch, nestled into the seat of a child size chair.

Today is the day.

I make my way through the tall grass, trying not to think about ticks or snakes and lean on the tree until I can reach the sweet little abode and gently lift it out.

I head back up the hill to the path and smile because there are leaves in the nest, they are just brown ones, but is that not what I was looking for? "Funny" I say to myself as I begin to lift them out one at a time. Then…

WHAT???!!!

To my delight I came face to face with this little green fellow! As I stood there in that moment, I felt that if I turned around, I would see Jesus standing behind me smiling...

"Surprise!

" I hear you. I see you. I love you."

My heart was filled with child like joy as I stood there in wonder, at this frog, in MY nest! We looked at one another for quite some time, this little green fella and I, then I gently set him in the grass knowing he would be happier here than my front porch. Every time I walk in my front door, I have a little reminder that I am loved.

Just the way I am.

See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands.

Isaiah 49:16

Nest

NEST

It's pretty safe to say, everyone who knows me knows I have a thing for nests!! I collect them (only the evacuated of course.) They are in my house, my planters and often times riding around in my car next to my starbucks cup. I. LOVE. NESTS.! I bend young trees back to see them, pile things on top of each other at the trunk to see them, and more than once in a while climb the tree much to my own peril. A few scratches, less than lady like tumbles, and awkward explanations to passers-by what in the world I'm doing, and I have lived to tell about it.  My friend, Suzanne says I am a predator. But I am a gentle predator armed with only my trusty iphone, which is how I got these amazing pictures of a robins nest on my beloved path!

   I saw the nest, (lots of parental Robin activity, which soon included dive bombing yours truly) I pulled a couple pieces of wood next to tree but still could not see in so just reached my iphone up over the nest and got the first shot of the amazingly blue eggs! I was SO tickled!! Is there anything more beautiful than this?! Not even the sky can equal this hue! When I got home and looked more closely, I realized the eggs had tiny holes in them (look closely) and were about to hatch!!

 The next day...there were two! Definitely not as beautiful as their shells! I checked on them every day and was totally amazed at how quickly they grew! Filled out with feathers, filled the nest to overflowing, and constantly had their mouths open!!

  No wonder I love Nests! It's a close comparison to becoming a couple, making your first home, expecting and raising all those little babies. I loved ALL those years! And they seem to have gone by in a flash!! You young Mamas… I know you are rolling your eyes, I used to be SO annoyed at that comment, usually heard in line at the grocery store, one child screaming and crying to get out of the cart, while the other opened a conveniently child height pack of skittles which scattered around our feet… but we Older Mamas-now Grammas know........

The nursery you spent a whole year planning and preparing, the crib that looks big only after you bring that tiny one home from the hospital. You spend hours just staring at them while they sleep… and if they sleep more than an hour at a time (in the beginning) you wake them up to see if they are alright…. time passes…

Soon you have another and a little family emerges and grows (and are certainly cuter than these bug-eyed, grandpa eye-browed red skinned fellas!)
They fill your heart, your home, your every hour and somebody is ALWAYS hungry!!!!

They watch you and they grow and grow and get personalities and whiskers and meltdowns and attitudes...

"She touched me!" "He's on MY side!" "She LOOKED at me!" ".."Are we THERE yet? It's HOT in here!"

And the next thing you know… they have all flown the nest, out on their own, and all you have left is a heart full of loving memories and a couple feathers.  That white stuff around the edge of nest?...well.."it" happens

 Be nice to your husbands ladies..he is the only one who stays! :)

Dry Creek Path

So..about this path (the literal path)...…

   It is two blocks from my neighborhood and I found it by chance shortly after we moved here to Eagle Idaho.It is hidden by trees at the end of a soccer field, like a treasure, like going through the wardrobe in the book of Narnia, is what it felt like  (and still does) to me when I first followed it.

   It was in October of last year, when I first wandered it with my faithful Black Lab, Chandler. I knew no one here at the time so it was just the two of us. But what I would soon learn, it was traveled by a regular group and their canine companions daily as well.  A rare and wonderful place you can actually let your dogs run free to explore the woods, fields, lake and creek that runs along side. All dogs on this path literally are grinning from ear to ear with their tongues hanging out in the middle!

   As we would greet the same people almost everyday, first for some reason we would learn the dogs names, Chauncy, Forrest, Lucy...then we started remembering the owners names by pairing them with their dogs.

    Some of us haven't combed our hair yet,or brushed our teeth, we most the time have on the same coats, boots sweats we wear everyday..beauty of it is..? No one cares!

   Dogs on the path love the excitement of other dogs, chasing squirrels and an occasional fox..but we two legged creatures? We walk this same trail day after day for other reasons. The physical walk of 2 miles is reason enough of course. But we also are breathing in Nature,Beauty Peace, and Faith in the God that  placed it all around us. We see the changing of the Seasons, The Circle of Life if I might borrow a line from The Lion King. The Leaves that turned more amazing colors than are describable, that shone in the Autumn sun in all their glory, then fell one by one to paint the path and carpet the way into Winter, which came with sparkling white branches and the sound of frozen snow under our boots.

    It was such a joy to see Spring unfurl as we walked along, The green that emerged and spread on a daily basis..The birds who inhabit all this beauty go wild with joy! Blackbirds, robins, sparrows, singing their different and beautiful songs, chasing each other through the air, carrying sticks and grasses to build their nests! Two owls that sit up above a large branch Hanging overhead sing their haunting song in the late evening,telling us all to go home and let them have their way with the night.

    There are box turtles who sun themselves in the sand on the edge of the lake, Bullfrogs emerge in the reeds of the marsh, and the two elusive" Stars," a small Red Fox, (whom Ive still yet to see) and a Large Golden Fox who graced me with his beauty two weeks ago (FINALLY!) Everybody had seen him but me. As I wandered past the field of Marsh grass, there he was! He was lying in the deep grass with just his head showing, watching my every move..I froze except to slide my ever present iphone out of my pocket to try for a picture, but as if to say "You cant catch me!" He rose and silently flew gracefully through the soft grass, his beautiful fluffy ringed tail flying behind him, he was gone so fast, I just had time to blink and wonder..Did I just see that??? It made my day! I have also heard there has been a Cougar spotted here ....I'm O.K. with just keeping that one an un-seen legend!

    I truly feel,  that this has been such a blessing in my life right here, right now. A Place to reflect, to talk to The Father, to Listen to Him, To thank Him, for this gift of Life, filled with Love, Joy, sorrow, heartache... to lift up those I love to His Care, and to keep walking on and on the path laid out before me that ultimately will continue around the bend over the bridge and to an Eternal home so beautiful even a visual person like me cant imagine!