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I don't know when Arbor Day is. I thought it was earlier in the year, but 30 Rock mentioned it as an upcoming holiday in April, so maybe it actually is. Who knows?
Regardless, I might need to go plant a tree today and I don't know what to wear.
My grandma died in 2005 - September, when everything sucked and I was in that weird calm place that crises put me and awash in early pregnancy hormones and her memorial service was extremely surreal. She was cremated, but nobody knew what to do with the ashes. We are not the urn keeping type, my family. Grampa got scattered up at his ranch in Dixon; I don't know what happened to Great-Grandma's remains but they aren't on anyone's mantle.
When my grandparents built their dream house they put the deck around an enormous old oak. Eventually, the tree died and had to be taken down, but they kept the stump and Grandma had bunches of pictures of the old tree. When she divided that land and built a smaller house for herself she made the builders flag every tiny oak tree on her property so they could make an effort to avoid crushing them.
So, we are planting her an oak. We're putting it in Strenzel Meadow, over by John Muir's grave. It'll be above the creek that my parents have moved and been managing in an effort to reduce flooding on the street below, and near a big old oak. It'll be of a type that doesn't carry Sudden Oak Death, and we'll put Grandma's ashes beneath it.
Circle of Life. Best we can do.
I don't have an outfit for that. Grandma would have been overdressed in a skirt and heels, but I don't think that will work for me. We think it will not be muddy, it hasn't rained in a couple of days, but it's not a manicured lawn and I will be doing some digging.
Something that fits, something that's clean. Best I can do.
Regardless, I might need to go plant a tree today and I don't know what to wear.
My grandma died in 2005 - September, when everything sucked and I was in that weird calm place that crises put me and awash in early pregnancy hormones and her memorial service was extremely surreal. She was cremated, but nobody knew what to do with the ashes. We are not the urn keeping type, my family. Grampa got scattered up at his ranch in Dixon; I don't know what happened to Great-Grandma's remains but they aren't on anyone's mantle.
When my grandparents built their dream house they put the deck around an enormous old oak. Eventually, the tree died and had to be taken down, but they kept the stump and Grandma had bunches of pictures of the old tree. When she divided that land and built a smaller house for herself she made the builders flag every tiny oak tree on her property so they could make an effort to avoid crushing them.
So, we are planting her an oak. We're putting it in Strenzel Meadow, over by John Muir's grave. It'll be above the creek that my parents have moved and been managing in an effort to reduce flooding on the street below, and near a big old oak. It'll be of a type that doesn't carry Sudden Oak Death, and we'll put Grandma's ashes beneath it.
Circle of Life. Best we can do.
I don't have an outfit for that. Grandma would have been overdressed in a skirt and heels, but I don't think that will work for me. We think it will not be muddy, it hasn't rained in a couple of days, but it's not a manicured lawn and I will be doing some digging.
Something that fits, something that's clean. Best I can do.
