New Beginning

ice storm in indianola jan. 2008

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I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.
— Henry David Thoreau
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Let’s consider this the beginning. I am keeping my appointment with myself to start this blog and to start an honest discussion, even if I have nothing to talk about other than boring, mundane daily things. After all, the blogs of my friends that I find so interesting deal with the day-to-day task of living, don’t they?

I want to write words and stories and rants and observations others will want to read. As a result, I often refrain from saying anything, fearing it’s too “boring” or too “personal.” Or I err on the side of sharing too much to the point where nothing is special, nothing is sacred.

I started this blog thinking it would be focused and that focus would bring clarity and pride in a focused work. But I want to share more than just visions of trees–I want to share me, and that includes the boring and the mundane.

So here goes nothing . . . from now on, if something’s on my mind, here is where I will rant. If I’ve done something I find interesting, here is where I will share my pictures and experiences. And if my friends share a meme on their blogs, here is where I will also participate.

I may not always find the perfect picture of a tree on my computer or on my camera or in front of my eyes, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse to keep my mouth shut.

humble beginnings

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For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

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The simple image of a tree can mean so much more than just a tree, and for that I am always drawn to the solitary tree. The one that stands apart from the forest; alone.

Yet we know that tree got there somehow–be it by a deliberate planting, a fight for survival, or the carrying of a seed by the wind.

This is a study of all those trees of the field. The simplicity, the thoughtfulness, the faithfulness.