Tree Talk

It seems a little early for this and awfully incongruous -- I mean, it's supposed to get into the mid-80s today -- but I smelled autumn in the air this morning. It was 59 degrees and there was an unmistakable scent of change on the wind. I love how that occurs. One morning it's summer, then sometime during the night, autumn sneaks up and you're left shaking your head, wondering what happened.

I passed a Locust tree yesterday that was nearly completely yellow. Surrounded by green leaved oak, maple, and poplars, I imagined their comments went something like, "There she goes again, making a fashion statement. Well, I suppo

se she has to do something to make up for having been named after a bug." Sigh. Trees, you know?

Well, it turns out the dames in the wood might know far more than I imagined. According to one story, the Locust (photo) was given its name by Jesuit missionaries who fancied it was the tree that sustained John the Baptist in the wilderness. The problem is, it's only native to North America, so maybe they were just being tacky after all. Who knows?

I suppose someone has to take the lead, though, if anything's going to change. Stick their neck out, take a risk, maybe look a little silly to the rest of us. It's hard being the only one standing while everyone else is sitting down, muttering, "What's wrong with her?" Sooner or later though, if she stands her ground, it becomes contagious and the next thing you know, the rest of the forest will join her. Then she can smile and quietly think to herself, "But it was my idea first."


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