Hot and sweaty, hands all muddy from digging at the edge of the creek, my brother Steve and the other neighborhood kids would look for crawdads “for dinner.” Thank goodness it was a pretend dinner…..blech! The creek wound its way around the vacant lots that measured a good 250 acres and was the center of our world as children. Standing in all its glory right next to the creek was the hollow tree, complete with steps nailed up on the inside and a platform up in the branches where we could survey all that surrounded us. This is where we escaped to everyday in the summer and as often as we could during the rest of the seasons. As a matter of fact we were there daily because of the “trail” that we had blazed as a shortcut to school. I know it doesn’t happen much now a days but we would walk to school (and yes it was a mile) and back using this trail right past the hollow tree. It was the heart of our adventures…..pirates, cowboy and indian, tarzan and jane or any number of scenerios that we could come up with in our fertile imaginations. Standing on the platform we could survey the hills that were mountains to us. We named them cowboy mountain and indian mountain and played the conquering heros on many occasions.
Not far from this wonderland for kids was also a heavy burdensome reality. Living at the other end of the 250 acres in a rundown ramshackle house that was directly across the street from the Methodist church I attended was a family of 8 kids and the mother and father, so poverty stricken it was hurtful to watch even to my young heart. They never joined us in our games, in fact I think I compartmentalized them into another area altogether, and never socialized with them.
In my young life all that was important was the escape and peace that the woods and the hollow tree brought to me. I could be there for hours and often was, whiling away the days, daydreaming or reading or planning what my life could be. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to trees……….hoping one might be hollow.
WOW! That is so beautifully written! Love your story…you made me laugh when I read that you literally walked a mile to school!
Thank you for sharing!!!
By: Michele on November 16, 2008
at 3:48 am
Your story is great!!! You took me through the trip as if I were there…Thank you so much…and Yes you are BLOGGING BABY…I am an old-timer too and am excited to be on this Journey…Thanks for sharing a great story!
By: Sheila on November 16, 2008
at 1:53 pm
More, more, I want more stories about the hollow tree and your childhood adventures. You’ve only touched on the possibilities. I can even see a series of stories centered around the tree. Maybe even one about the poverty stricken family at the other end of the 250 acres.
Your writing is wonderful with all the descriptions putting pictures into my mind. Who cares about punctuation and grammer (editors do that anyway) when you can write like that. Please don’t tell Liv I said that!
By: Elizabeth on November 17, 2008
at 1:54 pm