While I was out working in the yard yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice how green everything is. In May, I was more than a little worried because it was so dry. Forest wildfires are of critical concern for those of us who live in the Northwoods.
According to Weatherbug, we’ve had over 25 inches of precipitation already this year, and the fire danger as registered on the sign at the ranger station in Lakewood has been low.
Actually, after a slow start, the lawn, garden and woods all look healthy right now. I marvel at how tall the trees are compared to when we bought Otter Run in 1993. I’m so glad we’ve done select cutting; the health of the woods continues to improve, just as we hoped it would.
An excavation contractor once told me that “trees are just big weeds.” I understand why he holds that view, but I disagree. Though we are surrounded by forest, I’ve planted a lot of trees on the property, including Honeycrisp and Cortland trees that reward me with delicious apples. I also routinely transplant white pines, my favorite species. Not only are they majestic and beautiful, white pines thrive in our sandy, rocky soil.
My first two grandchildren were born when Jon and I lived in Appleton. Though they are not my biological descendants, they are mine in every other respect. To celebrate their giving me a presence in their lives, I planted a tree for each one on our city lot. The trees did well on Schaefer Street, but I relocated them to Otter Run when we moved here in 2002. They appear to be as happy living in the Northwoods as I am.
Incidentally, I stopped using the word “step” to describe our family relationships many years ago, choosing instead a word my daughter supplied: bonus. For those in blended families, I highly recommend doing that. It changes perception and perspective, paying dividends in a myriad of wonderful ways.
Over time, four bonus grandchildren arrived, and then four bonus great-grandchildren. I planted a tree for each in their birthday year, as well as one for my biological granddaughter. The most recent was a tiny white pine for great-grandson No. 3, a very special bonus baby whose antics are so entertaining we could charge admission. I’m hoping all of them will think of me when visiting their own special tree far into the future.
To be candid, coming from dairy agriculture, planting trees would not have been on our family’s front burner. That idea was fostered by a club that helped shape my life: 4-H. I can still recite the motto: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.”
As my sister, Carol, reminded me so often before she passed away last October, 4-H is part of the Wisconsin Idea — create beauty for future generations. We 4-H members did. Though it was almost 70 years ago, I vividly recall planting pines to prevent erosion at Calumet County Park on Lake Winnebago.
The location assigned to Sherwood Wide Awake 4-H Club was a hillside, way too steep to use machinery. We did it all by hand, using nothing more than a spade and elbow grease. Joining us were 4-H clubs from all across Calumet County. In the space of a few years, we planted thousands of big weeds.
Today, Calumet County Park is a lovely place, the perfect spot for a picnic and a must if you like gorgeous sunsets. I am delighted that the trees we planted now reach to the heavens. That project was even more memorable because we worked together without publicity or payment, using our heads to realize we were doing something important; our hearts to know it was the right thing to do; our hands to perform a boring, laborious task; and our healthy bodies to create better living for children not yet born.
That was back in the 1950s when we (ridiculously) practiced hiding under our school desks, shaking in fear of Russia raining nuclear bombs down upon us. The shocking thing is that there is an increasing possibility that could happen now, wiping out three-fourths of the world’s population. We can only hope one of the madmen who has access to the “button” doesn’t push it.
I fully understand that I cannot control the future, but I choose not to hide in fear. I will confront life in these turbulent and terrifying times in the only way I know how: I’m going to plant trees.
Kathleen Marsh is a lifelong educator, writer and community advocate. She has published eight books, four on the history of Townsend, where she and husband Jon are happily retired on the beautiful Townsend Flowage.
Trees best way to cope with turbulent times
