It’s been two weeks since I wrote about the Missing Paintings Incident. In case you missed it, this is Part 2 of that story.
The day before the contents of my storage unit returned, incomplete, I might add, we had a massive windstorm. It was Saturday, and I drove to the farmer’s market, where everyone talked about how many trees had come down. I made it home safely and looked around for any trees that might have fallen. All seemed well. There were many downed trees when I went into the woods the following Monday.
The day after my cathartic cry about the lost paintings, I felt remarkably light-spirited. Passing by my bedroom windows, which look to the west, I saw that a huge tree had come down and was lying on the edge of the woods where it meets my yard. I hadn’t noticed it before.
I forgot about it for a few days, but I was outside doing yard work and was called over by the tree. :)
A northerly wind had brought her down, and the entire tree lay there, waiting for me. I wondered what kind of tree she was, but I’m not good at trunk ID, and neither is my plant ID app.
Then, I saw her treetop branches - leaves and all - still attached, lying on the ground. They were waving at me! I walked to have a look, and as I got closer and closer,
OH MY GOD! She’s a QUAKING POPLAR!! 🫢
Populus tremuloides.
Do you know how long I’ve been looking for a mature Quaking Poplar (AKA Aspen?) Over two years! Ever since The Voice insisted I name this newsletter The Quaking Poplar.
I felt like I was in one of those game shows where confetti (or dollar bills) rained from above. My Joy level was through the roof! What a gift after the Missing Paintings Incident!
“Where have you been hiding?” I asked her. I apologized for being so excited to see her lying on the ground. She didn’t look very healthy; perhaps it was her time to rest.
I’m grateful where she landed (not on the house!), and there’s no need to move her. She might be home to many critters, and I can sit with her whenever I want to.
Well, the story doesn’t end there. As I sat with the Quaking Poplar, a thought came into my head. My friend’s husband, who knows a lot about trees, told me last year that the easiest time to identify a Quaking Poplar/Aspen is in the fall. “Well, duh!” I thought. I’m embarrassed to admit that had never crossed my mind and that maybe, just maybe, using my binoculars would be helpful.
And so I grabbed them and headed towards the barn. While searching for the Quaking Poplar for two years, one tree on the other side of the barn would tease me with her fluttering leaves as I looked out my kitchen window. Cause that’s what the Quaking Poplar does. She trembles, flutters, quakes at the gentlest of breezes, even when all the trees around her are still.
She’s a Sensitive One.
So many times, I’d look up, trying to find and ID that tree, to no avail.
This time, armed with my binoculars and looking for her yellow leaves
I found her!!
She’s in here…mixed with Beech and Maple trees, all three sporting shades of yellow and gold.
And so I can identify her in the winter, I gave her a Pink marking.
As I wandered through the woods, one yellow-leafed Poplar led me to another.
Behind the barn:
By my cute but dilapidated shed:
And another, growing right near the one that came down. No doubt they are related. She was tricky to identify, as she hid among the Hemlocks, intertwined with some Beech trees.
They live in the same community as Turtle Rock.
I do believe this was a gift from Mother Nature, congratulating me on letting go of the missing paintings and helping me to move on. This is what I love most about spending so much time outdoors, especially in the woods. So much Magic happens there, even when we’re not looking for it - usually when we’re not looking for it.
What a divine gift that is for us humans.
There is always peace and beauty. Stillness and wonder. Joy.
I’ll leave you with these words on this magical tree that the Druids revered for her sensitivity. It’s interesting - I wrote the above sentence before looking for a quote to share. And there, I found a similar train of thought. It seems that Nature speaks to us individually and collectively.
From The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford
As the wind passes through the aspen leaves, they whisper a message of peace: listen within yourself and find comfort in the still, small voice of calm; in the music of the spheres; in the resounding "om" of existence; in the voice of Goddess - whatever you chose to call the spirit moving through the silence within us. You can interpret this in whichever way is most personal to you. The aspen teaches the lesson of fearlessness, and gives us the strength to face fear that comes with the unknown. To quote Dr. Bach, aspen helps us to understand that "the power of love stands behind and overcomes all things." Once we know this to be true, "we are beyond pain, suffering, care, worry, and fear, and we become participants of true joy."
Much Love,
Barbara
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"I do believe this was a gift from Mother Nature, congratulating me on letting go of the missing paintings and helping me to move on. This is what I love most about spending so much time outdoors, especially in the woods. So much Magic happens there, even when we’re not looking for it."
I do believe this too. Ahh, deeply good reminders here, Barbara. Thank you. (And I know how those trees can wave you over!)
So much is shedding during this time, we don't need those sticky bits that like to hold on. Sometimes we do require a nudge though!
So much meaning and communion all around us. Thank you for always, so naturally reminding us.
xoxo
Finally getting to this... Hi, Barbara!
Life is still weird, but at least the fake assault charge is DISMISSED.
Thank you for this, you know they're food for my soul, your posts.
I hope you're doing well, and THRIVING, actually. Sending biggo hugs! ^_^