10 Saplings From The Arbor Day Society

The pine I planted in the front yard

Four times I began writing Emily Dickinson’s poem Secrets on a linen, and four times I made mistakes.  “Give it up, Maria,” I said out loud, “it’s not working today.”

A couple of days ago, I wrote out ten poems and phrases on linens and didn’t make one mistake.  Sometimes when I give in  on something like this feels like giving up.  But in truth, it’s about knowing that I just need to let it go for a while and get back to it later or the next day.

It’s about knowing myself.

So instead of spending the rest of the day making mistake after mistake and having to cut down more linens than necessary, I sorted through the linens I washed yesterday to use in the quilt,  then went outside and planted the ten sapling trees I got from the Arbor Day Society.

They came in the mail on Tuesday so I wanted to get them in the ground.

I began this tradition of planting at least 10 trees in the spring,  last year.  It’s a way of replanting the trees we use for fire wood every winter.  I plant the saplings in the woods behind the farm.

But this year I put one in the front yard.

I think it’s a white pine, a fast growing tree that will block the sound and sight of the traffic in years to come.  It’s snuggled between two young lilac bushes that I transplanted a couple of years ago.

I planted  the other eight trees (I lost one sapling when it fell out of my bucket and I couldn’t’ find it in the ground cover) between the woods and the back pasture.  The soil this is often moist and it’s sunny. I know there’s a slim chance that all the trees will grow, but I try to put them in a place where they’ll have a good start.

I planted the saplings along the path where I walk, so over time I do hope to be able to see them grow.  Six of the ten trees I planted last year are still alive.  They’re easier to see because they’re pines, this year seven of the ten trees I planted are hardwoods.

I’ll go to my Bellydancing class in a little while and I’m counting on it to turn my mood around.  It usually does.  Then tomorrow I’ll be back in the studio, a renewed Maria, confident and able to get back to work on my Emily Dickinson Secrets quilt.

2 thoughts on “10 Saplings From The Arbor Day Society

  1. I love trees! We planted our entire 3 acre field with evergreen seedlings that we got through the Arbor Day foundation. We started when we moved in 20 years ago and moved our last 6 from the seedling bed to the field this year. The land our house is on used to be crop land so it was bare of trees when we moved here. In all these years I haven’t come across another person who used them and now here you are 🙂 Have a good day. Amanda

    1. Oh what a wonderful thing to hear Amanda. It amazed me how quickly trees will grow. 20 years later they must be like a forest! Nice to know you’re out there too!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Full Moon Fiber Art