One night in Oklahoma, several years ago, maybe twenty? a strong wind came through. Oklahoma’s strong 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. It had to be strong because it blew over a huge catalpa tree that had stood in my parents’ back yard for generations.
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.Now, what? It would take a lot to move the roof back on, after the tree was cut up and hauled away. So, we did what seemed the sensible thing, we filled in that ‘fraidy hole that had been there since forever. Now, there was no more cellar and no more catalpa tree. However, the catalpa is a beautiful tree, with pretty, white flowers in the summer and long, skinny seed pods in the fall. So, to commemorate that tree, I picked up a couple of seed pods, split them open, and used the halves for Christmas tree decorations. Those pods became Santas with extremely long beards. So, you might say, the catalpa is still with us, in a manner of speaking.
So, on this cloudy, rainy dark morning, when Santa would surely need Rudolph to show him the way, I’m thinking about painting more. Now, let me see, no more catalpa seed pods, but lots of small gourds. What will I paint? The choices, like memories, are endless.
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