One night in Oklahoma, several years ago a strong wind came through. Oklahoma’s winds are not to be trifled with and this one was no exception. It wasn’t a twisting, swirling wind of a tornado, but a straight, hard one that blew over a huge catalpa tree that had stood in my parents’ back yard for generations.I believe this flowering tree grows only in temperate or warm zones. Its name comes from a Muscogee Indian word meaning “showy”.
Although it would no longer stand upright and sturdy, its wide, soft green leaves shading the cellar, it would not be forgotten because when it fell, it landed right across the top of the cellar, moving the concrete roof away from the rest of the excavation. The tree was down, so there was nothing for it but to cut it up and move it away.The catalpa was a beautiful tree, with pretty, white flowers in the summer and long, skinny seed pods in the fall. So, in commemoration, I picked up a couple of seed pods, split them open, and used the halves for Christmas tree decorations. The pods became Santas with extremely long beards. So, you might say, the catalpa is still with us and is still showy, in a manner of speaking.
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