I've been thinking about connection lately, how all things are. Trite I know, new-agey. Tree huggy. Elder reflections.
The shifting of importances. I really believe small things should be writ large. How well I feel when I know where my food is coming from, who farmed or hunted it, who has the chickens where the eggs are laid, meet the farmer who delivers my meat, when and where the moose was hunted, how far out in the bay were those crab pots laid. That there were scallop beds on the bay in front of my house back in the day, until the huge draggers came in and destroyed the bay forever and the ocean mile limits were set. Far too late. We need to learn from Gaia, our planet. She has much to teach us.
Today, Leo comes in with a load of wood from the barn and is excited. See? he says, see? And he points at a few big logs. Oh, they're maple, I say, impressed. (I do know my trees and wood from refinishing furniture back in the day. I knows me pine from me oak from me maple and walnut and cherry.)
It turns out they're from Mabel the Maple, her branches now dried and still serving me. And her trunk is still standing and I'm going to get someone to take her down and see if we can make one hell of a bench from her so she can live on.
Thank you, Mabel.
I like the idea of repurposing Mable!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet sentiment about your maple tree. Reminds me of The Giving Tree. Cheers from
ReplyDeletenorthern Minnesota.
Just caught up. I enjoy all your posts but can’t keep up.
ReplyDeleteBeing connected is good in the way you mean, it helps to be aware of the immediate world we live in, thus stopping us from destroying it. if it’s far away, well we don’t see it, do we?
Beans from Kenya, anyone?
Years ago
ReplyDeleteI had a cherry tree that the storm blew down.
A friend made me a little bench out of it :)
Was Mabel damaged in some way and needed to be cut down? I always grieve when I see a big old sahde tree dying.
ReplyDeleteThat used to be the normal way of things, knowing the origins of everything you used and everything you ate. Funny that wanting to go back to such a natural order is now seen as "new-agey!" I think everything is connected and inter-dependent. I'd say a lot of our modern problems stem from not acknowledging this. Count me as another old fossil!
ReplyDeleteI remember taking a bucket to someone's house and getting it filled with eggs that had some chicken poop and feathers stuck to them and carefully walking them home. At least we knew where our eggs came from. And once a year potatoes were stored in large volume in the crawl space under the house. I'm sure my mother got the easiest to get ones out first. There were spiders underneath there!
ReplyDeleteNot trite at all. If only we kept such thoughts more to the fore, we'd be in much better shape – instead of half-doomed!
ReplyDeleteGM:
ReplyDeleteYes, I was so devastated when Leslie tore her down, GM, this is making me feel a little better.
Anon:
Yes it helps when we can repurpose.
Friko:
So true, once we can see the origins it cements us more in place on this fragile place.
OWJ:
that is wonderful, you must treasure it, maybe post a picture?
SAW:
Yes Leslie tore her down, I did link to the event (I think!)
Molly:
Yes, you nailed it.
Irene:
And getting milk from the cow down the road. Or direct from the dairy.
Good times.
Stan:
We certainly would, we all need to get in touch both with each other and our sustainability.
XO
WWW
I will think of Mabel and her kind the next time I take a swig of maple syrup.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that she gets benched !
It would be great to recycle Mabel as a giant bench as a reminder of the old tree. It's sad when things that could be easily recycled or reused are just dumped.
ReplyDeleteThe connectivity aspect of our lives has not received the attention that it deserves, particularly in the human side of it. When you bring in the non human aspects into that study, your perspective of life per se changes to one of a permanent state of wonder and awe. I am in awe of life in all its varied offerings and your post gladdens my heart.
ReplyDelete