I'm no Druid or anything, but I swear I think the trees spoke to me this
morning.
I've debated all day whether to post about this. After all, it's getting to
where I'm writing about weird and off-the-wall things most of the time now. This
is so strange I'm still in awe. Anyway, here goes...
This morning I awoke before sunrise - as is my custom - and came into my
living room to start my day. But for some reason, I had this strange urge to go
outside and look at the trees surrounding my home. (My neighborhood is
surrounded by woods, was carved out of those woods, and so is still dotted with
many trees.)
Now this wasn't something I really wanted to do because for the past week I
have been battling the Mother of All Colds (okay, not really; but I've been
sicker than I can remember being in many a year) and besides it was quite damp
and raw.
While walking around my abode inspecting the trees I had this dread creep
over me that my home was in imminent danger. Now that the leaves are all off the
trees I can notice in stark detail how certain trees have grown in a slant over
the back end my place and seem threatening (the above photo is of the scene). At
once I determined to start calling tree services next week to get estimates on
removing that danger.
After several more minutes of inspection I decided to go back inside and
warm up. Immediately I sat at my desk and began reading my e-mails and watching
the local news. Suddenly there was an indistinct noise from outside. I
can't describe the way it sounded, but it didn't sound like what I later found
it was.
It wasn't until an hour or so later when dawn was breaking that I noticed,
upon opening my blinds, that an entire tree had fallen - just broke clean from
the ground - about fifteen feet beside my home. The place next to me, where it
fell, is empty and for sale. In fact, workers just finished Friday making final
repairs on it and hanging out the sign. And won't they be surprised now?
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I had just been standing
out there. Fortunately it wasn't one of the trees that had made the greatest
impression on me, but believe me, I won't procrastinate about getting someone
out here to take down those trees!
The tree which fell did no damage other than making for an additional
expense for the sellers. It fell two feet short of that house's back wall. It
looks to me as if a tree standing just feet from the house broke the tree's
fall. And in that pile of debris in front of the fallen tree is the top part of
it which would surely have reached the house had that one tree not broken the
fall. (That is a picture I took this afternoon.)
So is this a premonition? Was it just another of those oddball
coincidences? This much I can say: there had been no storms; the wind was
perfectly calm this morning, and I have no way to account for the fact that I
woke up this morning with falling trees on my mind. But because I have
determined to listen more closely to my instincts and inner voices, I will treat
it as a premonition and pass my story along for what it may be worth to
others.
Very strange. This kind of thing makes me wonder about the nature of time and how we perceive it. It's kind of like the opposite of deja vu. Maybe time isn't linear and sometimes we get a glimpse of that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there was no damage to your house.
I have pondered the nature of time especially because of premonitions ... and you know what? I don't know what to make of it. Rest assured I an am already taking estimates before something can happen. The problem there is that I can't afford to have every tree removed, so I'm still gonna rest somewhat uneasily now.
ReplyDeleteWhat about having them cut down low enough so that if any fall they won't hit you or land on your house? That is, leave the stumps higher than usual? Would that be cheaper to do?
ReplyDeleteI may have shared this story along the way, but the clouds were darkening slowly and the neighbours dog was barking constantly. The darker the clouds, the more intense the barking. The owners of the dog couldn't figure it out. I mentioned that we should listen to the dog, it knows bad weather is near. We all went inside. Shortly we were hit with a terrible storm and lightening struck the neighbourhood, frying a few computers and t.v.'s, the owners were two of the neighbours hit.
I'm taking estimates of my options now.
DeleteAs for your dog story, you touch on something that has intrigued me forever. I suspect that animals -without the "burden" of our larger, more complex minds - are closer to the interconnectedness of everything. In fact, I think as children we were closer to the source. It gets "educated out" of most of us. And few things astound me more than a well-spun spider's web ... and to think there are no schools for web-spinning!
"Educated out", I know what you mean. And it's by us adults who had it educated out of us by the adults in our life. I remember as a young girl telling my dad what I wanted to be (a singer, actress, something like that) and his response was to tell me to be more practical. I understand what he was trying to do, but that always stuck with me. Kids are told to reach for the stars, follow your dreams when very little an then it seems at a certain age, the grown ups around you are all like jk, really, what is your JOB going to be?
DeleteKids are all fulll of wonder and yet lack the wisdom. Adults have the wisdom but are lacking the wonder.
We need to get the two together :)
I still recall being a child and spending hour upon hour out of doors. I would lie on my back in the grass during summer, and I would just look into the sky, and watch the wind blow the clouds around. I gazed at the constellations. I ogled the odd jet or low flying birds, barely visible in the darkness. I remember being both frightened and fascinated by the praying mantis and the devil's horse. I recall summer evenings spent chasing fire flies, catching them briefly to watch them light up in my hand, and then letting them go. The world was like one long fantasy show. Rain spatters were dancing frogs. All animals were anthropomorphic critters who could be communicated with. Oh yeah: and I was never going to grow old -because life was enchanted and magic was real. I'm suggesting that "unweaving the rainbow" isn't always what its cracked up to be.
DeleteI shall post for you on my blog a photo of a well spun spider web Doug.
ReplyDeleteI've been and still do wonder. I remember after a critical hospitalization coming home barely able to walk, so I crawled. On my first day home I did too much. I crawled on my hands and knees, ever so slowly and painfully to our back corner garden to behold a forget-me-knot. Perfection. I cried.
Of course, there is no perfection without wonder. :-)
I will be looking forward to seeing that, so please let me know when you do post it so I so I won't miss it.
Delete