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Ramblings and rowan trees
Jun. 10th, 2006 06:25 pmThe Chamber of Commerce in Amherst sent out a nice publication to everyone with a mailing address in the area (I guess) that said there was to be a Renaissance Faire in the town common today.
But I didn't see any other publicity about it, and it has been raining like mad here for weeks, and the much-more-sacred Amherst Community Fair was canceled last month because of it. (Events on the common when there has been a lot of rain basically trash the common for the rest of the summer.) So maybe that's what happened.
Instead, I went to a memorial service this afternoon for a guy I hardly knew. Knew his wife, somewhat. I went because this elderly couple is fairly new to our area and to our UU Society ("church," for those new friends or strangers who don't know what I'm talking about), and I felt, as a member of the Board of Trustees and also because I like to think that I am, in general, a fairly nice person, I should go. I'm glad I did. I was the *only* member of the Board to be there. This couple had jumped right in when they came, and volunteered in several capacities, including (and I had not known this) folding and labeling the newsletter that I edit to get it into the mail.
Most of the people at the rather sparsely attended service were relatives or friends who had driven in from New Jersey and Vermont, the two states the couple (married 53 years) had lived in previously. There were a few other people from our church (plus the minister, of course).
The minister, her husband and I were exploring the large flower garden the widow has, and I noticed what sure looked like a European mountain ash, young. The husband thought it was an American mountain ash, but I said the leaves weren't quite the same as my American mountain ash, and looked more like my old European one, which died of disease several years ago.
As we were taking our leave, I asked the widow about the tree. "Oh," she said, "it's a Rowan Tree. It's a tree of protection you, know. I had to plant one when we moved here." It was cool to find a woman who could be my mother's age who shares my Celtic instincts. You see, without even really knowing why, I felt this strong pull to plant a rowan tree here when we bought our house in 1985. Only after I'd bought the tree, did I ask someone I knew who was a Druid what its properties were said to be. I was stunned when he told me. We had a little tree-planting ceremony back then. I even found a bottle of rowan-berry flavored vodka (Ifrom Poland), and we poured a libation. Have never seen that brand of vodka since.
It is still unseasonably cool and drizzly, although the sun did come out a little today. Last night I was bitten by some kind of bug right near the outside corner of my eye as I was racing to put my puir plants in their planter boxes on the deck before the next wave of rain came in. I woke up looking like someone had hit me -- puffy, A reddened skin around that corner of my eye. Ugh. Also another bite in the middle of my forehead that could almost qualify as a caste mark.
Tomorrow is the UU Society picnic. It's supposed to be a little sunnier, but still too cool to go in the host family's pool.
My Mantis tiller is assembled, I have the gas to mix with the oil mixture. Now I just need the damn rain to stop. (I would send it to the West Coast if I could. Sorry, UPS and FedEx won't accept my shipment.)
P.S. This icon is of Jesse/Big Guy formerly known as Toby. He'd not wild about this weather, either. (See yesterday's icon to compare and contrast. Quiz on Monday. Just kidding.)
But I didn't see any other publicity about it, and it has been raining like mad here for weeks, and the much-more-sacred Amherst Community Fair was canceled last month because of it. (Events on the common when there has been a lot of rain basically trash the common for the rest of the summer.) So maybe that's what happened.
Instead, I went to a memorial service this afternoon for a guy I hardly knew. Knew his wife, somewhat. I went because this elderly couple is fairly new to our area and to our UU Society ("church," for those new friends or strangers who don't know what I'm talking about), and I felt, as a member of the Board of Trustees and also because I like to think that I am, in general, a fairly nice person, I should go. I'm glad I did. I was the *only* member of the Board to be there. This couple had jumped right in when they came, and volunteered in several capacities, including (and I had not known this) folding and labeling the newsletter that I edit to get it into the mail.
Most of the people at the rather sparsely attended service were relatives or friends who had driven in from New Jersey and Vermont, the two states the couple (married 53 years) had lived in previously. There were a few other people from our church (plus the minister, of course).
The minister, her husband and I were exploring the large flower garden the widow has, and I noticed what sure looked like a European mountain ash, young. The husband thought it was an American mountain ash, but I said the leaves weren't quite the same as my American mountain ash, and looked more like my old European one, which died of disease several years ago.
As we were taking our leave, I asked the widow about the tree. "Oh," she said, "it's a Rowan Tree. It's a tree of protection you, know. I had to plant one when we moved here." It was cool to find a woman who could be my mother's age who shares my Celtic instincts. You see, without even really knowing why, I felt this strong pull to plant a rowan tree here when we bought our house in 1985. Only after I'd bought the tree, did I ask someone I knew who was a Druid what its properties were said to be. I was stunned when he told me. We had a little tree-planting ceremony back then. I even found a bottle of rowan-berry flavored vodka (Ifrom Poland), and we poured a libation. Have never seen that brand of vodka since.
It is still unseasonably cool and drizzly, although the sun did come out a little today. Last night I was bitten by some kind of bug right near the outside corner of my eye as I was racing to put my puir plants in their planter boxes on the deck before the next wave of rain came in. I woke up looking like someone had hit me -- puffy, A reddened skin around that corner of my eye. Ugh. Also another bite in the middle of my forehead that could almost qualify as a caste mark.
Tomorrow is the UU Society picnic. It's supposed to be a little sunnier, but still too cool to go in the host family's pool.
My Mantis tiller is assembled, I have the gas to mix with the oil mixture. Now I just need the damn rain to stop. (I would send it to the West Coast if I could. Sorry, UPS and FedEx won't accept my shipment.)
P.S. This icon is of Jesse/Big Guy formerly known as Toby. He'd not wild about this weather, either. (See yesterday's icon to compare and contrast. Quiz on Monday. Just kidding.)
