Old Time Tonic

It's about this time every year that I'm reminded of a ritual that took place virtually every year when I was growing up. Although the winter blahs weren't nearly as bad, perhaps due to the mild weather so far, as in some years, they are here none the less. Going almost anywhere from where I have always lived means going down hill. One choice is a recently upgraded and widened road and the other, except for paving, is not much different than it was as far back as I can remember. It is along that less traveled road that the beginning of the ritual begins. The road basically follows a stream valley and winds back a forth crossing the stream at least four times in a mile and a half. Several places along that road grows a short, bushy tree we call Spice Wood or Spice Bush and that is what we need to get started on chasing the winter blahs off.

Spice Wood is best identified in early spring when the buds are just opening. At first glance you might think you're seeing forsythia. But the yellow freshly formed leaves soon leave no doubt that you were seeing Spice Wood and it was now a bit late to use it for the tonic that I and many generations before me have come to give ourselves assurance that although we may have to endure another snow or two or three, spring is on the way and the daylight hours are undeniably longer than they were just a short while ago. I stopped today and cut off a small branch filled with those delightful almost spherical buds just as we have been doing for so long and fetched it home to brew up the magical Spice Wood tea.

Boiling the twigs fills the house with a special aroma not quite like any other. Somehow your senses tell you that this is helping even before it gets put in a cup with a bit of milk and sugar and then warms you all over as almost nothing else can. As these things tend to happen, today I created a new variation on the traditional Spice Wood tea. Having just cut up a pineapple, the core sat on the counter and said, "Don't throw me away. Put me in the pot with the Spice Wood." How could I refuse? I'm now on the outside of my first cup of 2016 Spice Wood / Pineapple spring tonic. But I suspect it is not the last.

Just as with all good things, Spice Wood connects me with the past while encouraging me into the future. Knowing what has come before us is essential, keeping that which was good and taking it with us being thankful to the Creator who has provided it all is what I encourage my good readers to do. If you can find some Spice Wood, brew up a tonic that connects you to past and present and future.

Warmth Provided

Sometimes the things you want to do take a back seat to the things that get in the way. Writing this blog and sharing my various musing with those who would take the time to read it is something I really enjoy. And yet, it's been months since I last took the time to put something up here. It would be easy enough to say I've been busy with more important stuff. However, the truth is that if I had limited my dallying around on Facebook, I could have had a good many more posts. So, call it a resolution if you will. I plan to be a bit more disciplined about this small part of life in the coming year.

The subject of much of this blog is wood; trees and the things that can be made from this amazing God-given miracle. Today was a pretty relaxing one and the intermittent sunshine invited me to the woods. A dead White Oak tree had caught my attention a couple days ago and, just as with my writing, my firewood gathering was a bit behind as well. A couple hours of cutting, hauling and splitting (about all this old body is up to anymore) and the wood pile looks a bit healthier. What a blessing to be able to go out the back door and harvest what has been provided.

The tree I cut was one of hundreds in the area that succumbed to a combination of Gypsymoth defoliation and seasons of drought. The first invasion of Gypsymoths was back in the '70's in this area and the sickening feeling that our forest would be destroyed was overpowering. As it turns out, most trees were not killed and the ones that were had a culling affect that made for better growth in the survivors, not unlike what happens in the animal world with a balance of prey and predator. This kind of observation is what has been a faith builder for me. I no longer fear what may happen to me or the trees. There is a plan for both and it would appear that the two are intended to blend together. The comfort derived from my stack of firewood pales in comparison to the warmth that overcomes me when I acknowledge how much Our Creator cares for me and you.

So, Happy New Year to all and may the blessings that attend the faithful be with you in the coming days. Be grateful for the provision that has been guaranteed. Hopefully the next post will be more timely.