Korbin's Tree

Korbin's Tree

I had barely walked in from work on this beautiful Saturday afternoon when I had a four year old munchkin grabbing my leg and asking if we could pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease plant a tree.

Well I guess the day is here that I had been waiting for. My wife and I had decided long before we ever had grandchilren that we would like to plant trees for each grandchild. When our first and so far only grandchild was born back in August of 2006, we began to again talk about that tree. We debated on whether to plant one at the time or to wait until our grandchild was old enough to help plant their own tree. As you can tell, we decided to wait until they could help.

That is where Korbin comes into the picture. He is a fiesty full of energy four year old boy that is 100 percent boy through and through. He loves anything to do with trucks, cars, balls, and you guessed it, dirt. His father and him were over at our house recently and the tree issue was brought up again and Korbin got very excited about getting to plant a tree. Of course it was about eight o'clock at night so we told him that when he was over some Saturday that we would plant it. That brings us to yesterday. My wife had told my son and his wife that she would watch Korbin because they were both busy with work and a trip, so she had Korbin since early Saturday morning. By the time I drug in at almost four o'clock, JeaBee was ready for a break. I am still not sure if she put him up to it or if he just remembered, but the minute I hit the door, he was talking about planting our tree.

So we loaded up in Granddaddy's old pickup and we were off to town to find a tree. We had decided long ago that we wanted Korbin's tree to be a pecan tree because we do not have one and we wanted it to reflect Texas. We found ourselves at a small local nursery where everybody knows everybody and we told the gentleman what we were up to, so he helped us pick out a Choctaw Pecan Tree. With tree in hand we were now well on our way. When we returned home, we raided my shed for all of the necessary tools to complete the task. Korbin with his little shovel and Granddaddy with his sharpshooter, we began to dig this hole. I really thought that he would grow tired of this and wander off to go play, but he stayed extremely focused and insisted on not only helping to dig the hole but to also fill in back in when it was time. So there we were two little boys out digging a hole on the back corner of the yard to plant a tree that would forever tie the two of us together. My wife came out to check on us and Korbin told her that this was Korbin and Granddaddy's tree and that we were going to watch it grow and that one day we would be able to climb on it. He clearly had grand allusions about what this tree would be, but that is ok, so did I. With the tree finally planted the tools put away, Korbin went in to get his Saturday night bath at JeaBee's house and Granddaddy went to get his camera.

The photos are not spectacular, and for now, niether is the tree but one day I believe that it will be. A memory was created today that will always be there. For years to come, even after I am gone, Korbin will be able to look at that tree and say "I remember the day that me and Granddaddy planted that tree". I know I will always look at it and remember that day.

Dirt Therapy????



Garden Therapy



I reached into the loose earth and I scooped it up in my hands and I drew it towards me just so that I might pull those strong earthy smells into my very being. Perhaps that sounds crazy to you, but to me it was a wonderful therapeutic session. Please allow me to explain.

The Winter is at that point where you can finally feel her beginning to loosen her grip and the weather the last week has been beautiful. The problem is that I have enjoyed it mostly by looking at it through my office window, not by being out in it. But yesteday, I decided come what may, I was going to be out in my yard doing something. Winter being the finicky lady that she is decided to give me plenty of clouds and no sunshine and a slightly cool breeze, but I was determined to enjoy it if it killed me.

I am not an avid gardner by any means, but I do enjoy a good excuse to be outside and a garden is a wonderful excuse. I have my herb garden and several flower beds and a small vegetable garden. I have been preparing the soil as time allowed for I knew the planting season was coming and finally this weekend it was time for the potatoes and onions to go into the ground. That brings me to where you came in with me scooping the earth and soaking up the aroma that it was producing as I worked with it.

If you have never had a garden or flowerbed, then you will probably not understand. There is just something about the smell and the feel of the soil that I like. It was soft and gentle under my hand and cool to the touch but it had that smell. That strong earthy smell that held  me captive. So there I am on my knees in my garden running my hands through the soil simply enjoying the moment and it happened. I never even saw it coming. I was suddenly at peace with all things and all people. There were no problems that needed my immediate attention. There were no concerns at work. There were no problems in the entire world for just a brief moment in time. There was just me all by myself on my knees, enjoying one of God's most basic creations.

If you understand, then good. If you do not, then what is it that makes the world and all of the problems that it brings disappear for you? I hope that you understand what I am saying. My intent was simply to say that for me personally, I needed to find that thing that turned the constantly whirling side of my mind off and allowed me just to exist if only for a few moments.

As the day conlcluded, I went in and washed away all signs of the soil that I had so enjoyed working with. No dirt under my nails, no dirt on my knees, no sign anywhere of what I had been doing. Except for the contented look that was now on my face and the slight stoop from a back that was reminding me that I am growing older and not younger.

The Day

The day, where did it go?

I stay so busy that sometimes it is so easy to look up and another day has quickly faded away. Even now as I began this blog I decided to go get a quick glimpse of the sunset only to find that it had slipped away as well and the sky was beginning to fade into the early shadows of evening.

Where does it go? One minute it is there and the next it is gone. A shadow, a whisper, a fleeting moment. There, then gone. I wish that I knew. The breeze stirs and I catch myself just trying to freeze the moment so that it can be enjoyed. Always fleeting, always just beyond my grasp, always............

The day, it is now gone.

Hope lingers though, for tomorrow is a whole new day.

GW



  

What do you see?

What exactly do you see here? Before you read on, just stop and slowly take a look at the picture that is attached.

What do you see? A fireplace? An old building? Rocks? Wood? What do you see. Just tag along for a few minutes and we will return to this question.

My wife has asked me on many occasions whether my writings inspire my photography or my photography inspire my writings. The truth is that there are times that I will take a photo and it will cause that quirky little gear in my head to begin to churn and suddenly there is this crazy thought for a blog. Then there are other times that I will think about something that I want to write about and then I will go through some of my favorite photos and see if any of them tie to what I am wanting to write about. If not, I grab my camera and away I go, looking for that photo that expresses what I want to write about. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Today the photo inspired the blog. I have recently began to go through my numerous photos and to eliminate a lot that just need to be deleted. In the process I have come across a lot of photos that I had forgotten about and some that I had never even looked at. This is one that I had forgotten about. I have a good friend that I have known for twenty years and we will occasionally go and find those little out of the way places that you can stumble across interesting photos. This particular one is the inside of an old abandoned log cabin in a little community just north of Comanche, Texas.

I am not sure what you saw when you looked earlier, but look again. There just above the fireplace. Do you see his face. Who is this person? Is it really a face? Is it a ghost of those who lived here long ago? Who really knows.

Our mind is a powerful instrument it can create and it can destroy. Take a look at this photo and just let your mind be creative. You never know what you might discover.

GW