Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Locust Tree



This is a recent shot of Queens Creek as seen through a locust tree in my back yard. My whole life I've hated this tree, mainly because it drops branches that are riddled with thorns, and I am usually barefoot. Barefooted. Barefeeted. I rarely wear shoes.

(Sometimes I exhaust myself with my own ridiculosity. Ridiculousness. Inane, unnecessary, unrelated rambling thoughts. This happens to be one of those occasions. My apologies in advance for whatever you're about to barely tolerate read; taking a blog break does not appear to have been good for my functioning brain cell.)

Anywho, this tree and I have not been nice to each other over the years. For example, when Hurricane Isabel came through here a while back, I was praying for Mother Nature to please spare the beautiful sycamore tree that was growing along the shoreline to the left of Mr. Locust. In return, I would happily offer up and sacrifice this locust tree as a token of my gratitude. But once again the Chesapeake Bay Woman Luck prevailed, and my gorgeous, beautiful, statuesque sycamore tree came crashing to its death while Mr. Locust stood haughty and proud, snickering and pointing his thorny fingers at me when I came to survey the dreadful scene.

So it came to be that the locust was the remaining tree adorning the shoreline. Over time, the more I stared and scowled at it, the more I liked it, especially at sunset when the last rays of light bounce off it like in the photo above. We've come to an understanding, the thorny tree and I. No longer do I view it with hatred and disgust; I am resigned to looking at its good features.

This is a long way of building up to how I feel about the end of summer. I've been dreading September and Back to School and Busy Time at Work and Sports Schedules and Endless Chauffeuring of Kids, but now that the time is upon us I'm starting to think of the locust tree; of how I hated it but now love it. Nothing changed about that tree except the way I look at it.

So I will try to focus on the good features of fall: the brisk September evenings; the smell of burning dinner leaves; Saturdays in sweatshirts on the sidelines of soccer games; and the end of ant season lawn mower's hibernation until next spring.

On the flip side, though, don't ask me to be positive about the shorter days and the longer periods of darkness.

That's like asking me to be jubilant after stepping on the thorns of Mr. Locust Tree.

Barefoot. Barefooted. Without shoes.

17 comments:

Country Girl said...

Doesn't the tree bloom sweet in the spring? And when the wind blows, it rains down the little blossoms like snow. I have several black locust trees in the backyard and they're beautiful in the spring.

You had a sycamore lost in a storm? Now, that IS sad. Love sycamores.

Glad to see you're home safe and sound. We can welcome September together, all of us.

Pueblo girl said...

Those thorns are long and wicked. But the tree itslf is beautiful, especially the way the light is catching it in your photo.

I love all the seasons - when one is drawing to an end, I'm ready for the next. Now, I'm looking forward to the crisp chill of autumn mornings, when the fields are white with frost, and seeing the trees turn colour.

So glad to see you back.

Angel Mama said...

Welcome back!! I hope you and CBKs had a wonderful time together! The tree is so beautiful, and it sounds like it has won you over. There is beauty in everything, sometimes we just have to look harder. I love the changing of the seasons. That is something we are fortunate to have in this part of the country, so much of the country doesn't get to experience all the seasons.

Unknown said...

I can totally relate to the deeper nature of this post...I am a Fall girl and I welcome it with open arms.

Caution/Lisa said...

Goodness! What a mature post! I'm going to pretend that I'm you for the rest of day and see if it gets me anywhere. I'm being positive!! Okay, maybe I need to reread the post because this maturity thing isn't going to come easily.

Ann Marie said...

I am glad your back... missed you.
no power this am at my house.. = no new blog update :)

Daryl said...

Welcome back! I hope you and the CB Kidlettes had the best time ...

nativedevil said...

I love the fall. Summer is too hot for me. Plus, JV football Thursdays, Varsity on Fridays, VT on Saturdays, and Redskins on Sundays.
I will be in Mathews for Market Days--hope to see you there!!

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Welcome home and hope everyone had a good vacation. We have some of those trees around here too. Want another one? I can take fall but I DO NOT like winter. Espically the short days. Thank goodnes for blogging.
<><

Anonymous said...

Welcome back, I look forward to your posts, they are so thought provoking. I hope the CBK have a great first day back at school. I remember all the times sititing on the side lines watching the kids play sports. Some of my favorite memories. Just getting away from the cell phone, work, laundry, house etc....with nothing to pull me away except the comraderie of fellow parents. Enjoy these days, girl. They go by so quickly. Before you know it, you are passing the torch to the next generation.
msseabreeze

Meg McCormick said...

I, too, am happy you're back. We are kind of looking forward to the Fall routine - sure, it'll be busier, but aren't idle minds the devil's playground, or something like that? Right. Whatever. In any case, we took down two big dead oak trees and you wouldn't believe the firewood we now have to burn. Thus, we welcome Fall for that reason.

I like your mindset and will try to adopt it for my own. There are things in my life that I need to view with fresh lenses.

Unknown said...

I love that tree. But I love CBW too. OK, call me fickle!

I imagine winter is just as pretty and picturesque as summer around Camp CBW.

well read hostess said...

Ridiculosity is my middle name.

Karen Deborah said...

what a cool post. The tree does look beautiful in the photo. And I really like your analogy to finding something beautiful in a thorny situation, bare feeted--- you know that's when you feel it the most.
poignant CBW, really I think you have more than one brain cell.

foolery said...

Well la-dee-da!

I have no idea what that meant but I was feeling just huffy enough to type it. Glad you're back Miss Pensive (who will always be Miss Cheeky in MY book).

Love,

The Locust

Audrey at Barking Mad! said...

I needed to read this I think.

I think it was a great post to break me back into the blogosphere...ya know?

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Hey, y'all. Thanks for commenting.

The CB Children and I had a wonderful week together, and part of my funk (if that's what you want to call it, and maybe you don't but I do) is due to having so much concentrated time with them and no outside interference and now it's back to reality. Big time.

It's good to be back to the blog, but not back to Real Life. These next two weeks are going to be brutal for me due to Paying Job #1, two articles due to Paying Job #2, plus a major event at work I'm coordinating this weekend (meaning work all day Saturday) plus Middle Sister's incoming visit on Thursday plus Back to School plus soccer schedules plus just shoot me now.

OK, don't shoot. Just bear with me if I don't comment much and/or the posts are irregular or sparse. Also, I haven't uploaded any new pictures in about a month, and I am pulling from an old stockpile so even the photos are going to be bottom of the barrel.

Anyway, it's nice to come here and read your comments, and also good to know that Well Read Hostess shares my middle name of Ridiculosity. I"m thinking of getting some t-shirts made with that in big letters across the front. Maybe I'll wear it to the next soccer game...

Have a great week. - cbw

p.s. Native Devil - I sent you a note on Facebook about Market Days. I have to work all day Saturday but will try to be at the band part Saturday night. I"ll be the one wearing the shirt that says Ridiculosity. If not the shirt, then at least the facial expression....