Image by Jan Haerer from Pixabay
The yard of the house where I grew up was small, planted mostly with ivy, azaleas, grass and shrubbery. But there were two trees, one in front, the other out back that I loved.
In front of the house, there was a red leaf maple tree. It was a great hiding place when I wanted to get out of the house. I could sit under the tree mostly undetected, protected by low branches. The roots poked up through the ground. It was a perfect spot to sit, leaning against the trunk of that tree. I never really did much of anything there except watch the clouds and daydream. I can’t recall anything in particular that I thought about. I didn’t take a book, toy, or anything. I just sat, which when I think about it, was extraordinary because I usually couldn’t sit or stand still for even a few minutes. And yet, I could pass hours under that tree just watching the sky. Clouds were and still are endlessly fascinating to me.
The tree in the backyard was a mimosa tree. It towered above the small yard and was covered in feathery deep pink blossoms. They stayed on the tree for a long time, but eventually they would detach themselves from the limbs and float gracefully in the air before alighting on the ground. I thought the tree was magical and that the blossoms looked like ballerinas and fairies dancing. My sister and I loved playing under that tree. I was always a little sad when there were no more blossoms. I wanted those ballerinas and fairies to dance every day.
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Lynn H. Wyvill grew up in Washington DC where her favorite activity was sitting under a Japanese red maple tree, watching clouds create pictures in the sky. As a writer, she finds peace and inspiration when hiking in the woods, strolling on sandy beaches, and observing nature’s show in her backyard. Those experiences are captured in her first book, Nature’s Quiet Wisdom. Before writing books, Lynn worked as a radio/TV reporter and writer for the US Department of Agriculture and owned a consulting business that trained professionals on the creation and delivery of effective presentations. She is a lifelong learner, avid reader, small town explorer, and dedicated theater attendee who lives in beautiful Virginia with her husband.