The Stump of Life

 

We once had a mighty oak in our backyard.

But its branches were often falling, sometimes causing damage to our house.  It also had some places where it was rotting, and we didn't want to take a chance.  So we took it down.

We left a stump.  We were concerned about the root system and what happens to the house when those roots disappear.  Like maybe our screened-in porch will sink to the center of the Earth.

MEANWHILE...

While the tree stump might be dead, everything around it is teeming with life.

Plants, fungi, and moss - are all around the stump.

There are all also insects - ants, beetles, spiders.  Are there termites?  God, I hope not.  I haven't seen any.  

Inside the stump, there are plants and soil.  There has even been a frog that resided there!  

Our tree stump.  Doing its part in the circle of life.  Hail Simba!

Tuesday Harmony

 

Why can't we be more like my pets and live together in harmony?

Ok, they aren't always like this.  Sometimes there are growls and hisses.  But not always.

It's a nice moment, though.

Now that I'm retired, I catch more moments like this.  Walks are more relaxed.  Sitting on our back deck, I notice more about the world around me.  I can get absorbed in the sky and clouds, the breeze through the trees, the birds at the bird feeder, the squirrels picking up what they can.  We even have a frog living in the stump of the oak tree we cut down.

There it is, peering from its hidey-hole, in the lower part of the picture.

Yes, I still stress about the world and the suffering I see.  I still worry if I've done the right thing.  If I should have kept working...

But there is no denying the joy in the little things.  And there are people that I love and who love me.

That is all for today.

Love,

T.M.