Fun – Page 7 – MOONTABS

Yesterday was our annual trip to a local tree farm to cut our Xmas trees. One for Zane and I at Hill House. One for Jennifer and her daughter Kelsey at their house. Jennifer’s nephew Garrett gets included in both houses for a double dip of Xmas fun! As we wandered the tree farm the inevitable affliction we named Tree Cutting Conundrum Syndrome would strike us with an onslaught of symptoms! These include sweaty palms, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and an over all state of panic! What causes TCCS? The desire to find a perfect tree! That one tree in the forest of hundreds desire! That wandering aimlessly,not settling, and stubborn need to get that perfect tree!!Kelsey was chosen to pick out their tree which she succeeded in doing by the time we had reached the back forty of the tree farm. She seemed largely immune to TCCS. A benefit of living in California for the last few years perhaps?Zane was in charge of finding our tree. He too seemed rather symptom free. I had mentioned that we could have a larger tree this year. I was stricken badly with a case of TCCS! I pointed out a few possible trees to him but he declined them. “I know the one I want Dad! It’s near the entrance to the field.We exited the back forest with Jennifer and Kelsey’s tree over my shoulder. A small, nicely shaped fragrant white spruce. Zane had trouble locating his tree upon our return to the start of our foray. We searched for awhile until he found it. I was expecting to see an average sized tree. When I saw him gazing up with unbridled enthusiasm at a white spruce of monstrous proportions I was taken back! I quickly said no! It’s too big! Too tall! It has a narrow section in the middle! It’s not good enough! His disappointment was obvious. I walked around looking for another with him then decided to go back! The tree wasn’t perfect. Never chosen many times over the years for one reason or another.It had grown far beyond most people’s vision of a Xmas tree. But not Zane’s. The tree spoke to him somehow. I suddenly thought. Why not? We’ve got enough room. This is 2020 after all! A year of big changes.Big challenges. Big decisions with big consequences. Big moves in new directions. If ever there was a year to cut a large tree this was it! I named it Colossus! A tree this size needs a name! It took Zane some time to fell it. Some effort to get it into the bed of the truck. Getting it stood up in our house was no easy task either. Colossus needed a haircut to fit! Standing tall in our house Colossus makes a statement. Not perfect in shape but certainly in the spirit of nature. This year will be difficult to forget for all its been. As will this giant of Xmas trees! We studied the growth rings. We estimate the tree to 20 plus years old. There’s history there. The narrow band of branches possibly the result of deer browsing in the deep snows of a harsh winter. The dry years apparent in narrow growth rings. Colossus must have been a tiny seedling during the destructive ice storm of 1998. We felt a certain remorse in cutting it. But the neighboring seedlings will flourish in the more abundant sunlight produced by the tree’s removal. Colossus was planted to be harvested. A harvest that waited years for our arrival in the year 2020. This tree will bless our home in many ways. Sweet forest scents. Presence and dignity in that tall and sturdy stance. That annual time when we truly invite nature into our homes. The new year will come and Colossus will end up next to our bird feeder for awhile. We’ve made some happy memories in just one short day gracing our home with this imperfect behemoth. We’ll make more! Colossus will live forever! In our hearts and in our MOONTABS!

The beautiful warm weather continued yesterday and we took full advantage of all it might offer! Jennifer backed my decision to head to Bog River Flow. It’s a bit of a drive but well worth the time! My motives were premeditated. This would be our third autumn trip since we started our journey together! I sought to put us into an adventure that would bring peace and relaxation while giving us a pause to reflect on our time together. But let’s be totally honest! I knew there would be a great selection of beaver sticks also!What transpired was a day that was filled with sensory overload. Calm stretches of dark water with stunning reflections. The shadowy sections of forest bringing the damp smell of balsam and pine to our nostrils as the midday sun continued to warm it. Signs of wildlife around us. Chattering red squirrels and a couple scurrying gray squirrels on the fallen leaves of the forest floor. The occasional lone duck who would take flight with a sudden burst of energy. But there were other signs of wildlife to notice.Beaver chewed sticks and mud covered lodges.Carefully piled brush piles nearby as they prepared for a winter trapped below the coming ice. Muskrat droppings on logs and rocks. Their feed beds a little less obvious but tucked into crannies along side old stumps and logs. We traveled up to the beach landing at the end of Hitchin’s Pond. Only a few other paddlers whom we easily avoided but gave a friendly wave. The collection of beaver sticks began before we beached below the tail race of the upper dam. We stopped for our lunch on the cobble stone walls of the former Lowe’s compound. History that nature is slowly reclaiming. We had history here as well. On a much shorter timeline. It was here in this beautiful Adk setting in 2018 that I began to truly realize the depth of my burgeoning feelings for my tall lovely companion. It’s a story worthy of its own book especially the memories of our first hike to the Hitchin’s Pond overlook. We hiked the trail again yesterday together.Took photos and shared some memories..The world has changed dramatically since 2018 but some things have not. The bare rock surfaces of the overlook solid as ever. Jennifer’s new knees and my healed pelvic injury behind us.The distant high peaks gray and prominent on the horizon. And as I had done each time I had hiked to this special location a pause for quiet reflections. Of days past. The present. Thoughts on the future. Recharged and empowered in hope for all that nature holds in trust. Simple blessings.Once more to take the high ground. Together. The tiny gusts of warm air that fuel the spirit spin. That place where the mind of Taz takes the reins and connects to everything in a sixth sense moment of the now.The ADK clock would hint at the coming darkness.Part of a season headed for the next solstice.There a spin of another kind. Where active beaver prepare for winter. That’s part two of a wonder filled day!