There is a forty-year-old oak tree in front of my house. Its limbs spread out to create shade on these hot summer days and it is most appreciated. Sometimes I park my car under its branches instead of on the steamy driveway.
I feel the strength of this tree as it rises straight up, its roots extending deep into the earth and balancing outward at the same time. I imagine the yoga pose aptly named Tree pose was fashioned after the oak. It is also a compassionate tree that welcomes nests in the spring and a nurturing one as summer comes to an end; it is prolific with its seeds. There are acorns everywhere! Squirrels rush about burying them in preparation for the long winter ahead. My car crunches acorns whenever I pull out of my driveway. I imagine that helps break the hard shells and makes it easier to eat. The neighborhood kids exercise their throwing arms as they toss acorns down the street.
I gather some of them in a basket for a centerpiece. I love to look at their perfect form and think about how new oaks are hiding inside each one. There are so many from this one tree. Should the earth ever need to repopulate its oak forests, the acorns are ready.
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Ferida, Another nice essay. I like your idea about the acorn centerpiece.
ReplyDeleteI on the other hand hate those darn acorns! They litter my yard and start to sprout in my gardens. The other day while out in the yard one fell from the tree and hit me on the head. I'm sure I heard the squirrels laughing.
ReplyDeleteAcorns, harumph! Two years ago my husband and I came under rapid fire - a constant pinging coming from our den. On closer inspection, we found that squirrels were sitting on a branch overlooking our skylight. As they ate their acorns, they dropped the shells onto the skylight. Needless to say, we cut that branch and now the squirrels drop their acorns all over our lawn....but at least we don't hear them landing.
ReplyDeleteThis past August, my 3-1/2 year old grandson visited us from San Francisco. He had never seen acorns and was fascinated by them. His favorite activity was getting on the little tricycle we bought him and peddling up the street. At each house he would get off the tricycle gather up all the acorns he could find and put them in the basket in the back of his tricycle. All the neighbors unanimously told him he could have all the acorns he could find. He was delighted.
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