We built our house thirty-eight years ago and have lived in it for thirty-seven. It is situated about fifty feet up from the road below and is next to the base of a mountain. There is an ancient tree atop a place on the mountain top that I have admired through my windows for every single one of those years. It has not a single leaf on it and stands there proudly, totally naked. Over the years, I’ve never even seen it lose a limb.
Many times I have wondered exactly how old that majestic tree is and how many storms it has weathered. We can have fierce winds with blizzards of snow or rain storms and even worse is the real tree killer known as lightning. Since this tree is right up there, proudly presenting itself, it is inviting all of those to demolish it. But it prevails. One has to admire and wonder at the strength this beautiful old tree must possess. They say oaks are strong and I often wonder if it is a mighty oak.
Think about it. If that magnificent old tree could talk, can you even imagine the stories it would tell? My house is sitting on land that was once a mine, and you know the tree saw a lot of activities during that era. In addition my daughter-in-law told me when she was in school my land was known as “Hooky Hollow”. That explains itself and I don’t need to tell you what went on then.
For me there is something magnetic about this old tree. I watched it while we built our house. It saw my husband carry me over the threshold as a new bride. It saw my children marry and watched my grandchildren carried in as babies. Today it has watched my great-grandkids. It has seen life and it has seen death. I lost my wonderful husband days short of four months ago and the tree watched him many times over the years we’ve lived and loved in our home.
I don’t really know why this particular tree fascinates me and draws my eyes to it so often. I check on it every day and it has never disappointed me. It has a special grandeur that pulls me to it. Oh, how I wish it could tell me what it knows.
Jackie's Mountain Memos 
Although you obviously have several photos of that tree, I would suggest finding a painter to paint the mountain and the tree. Or you could get a photo made into a glass plaque. You could also have a photo put on a T-shirt. The view wouldn’t be the same, but the memories will continue.
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My town is filled with talented artists, so that’s a very good idea. Thanks for suggesting it.
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Jackie, I loved your “Tree” blog. It reminded me of that poem by Joyce Kilmer (I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…) My grandmother loved that poem and had a copy of it framed in her bedroom. Although Kilmer was ridiculed as being sappy by highbrows, his poem has always had a special place in my heart, just as your mighty tree has in yours.
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It escapes me why this particular tree fascinates me so much, but it always has. I expect to see branches gone or even the whole tree after a hard storm, but it comes through each and every time…so far.
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Am in awe of your mountain view and now fascinated with that tree. I wonder what kinds of birds and perhaps critters stop to perch on it. Yes, if only it could tell us.
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Nancy – I’ve never seen anything perch on it, but that may be because they do it when I’m not looking. Surely there is some sort of wildlife around it since there’s so much here on my deck.
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An Amazing tree. Great blog. Loved all the photos!
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Thank you, Marilyn. Hopefully, I’ll figure out how to make the pictures smaller soon. I don’t know why they have to change things when the way things were worked so well.
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We endure. It looks as though that tree has roots in solid rock.
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Now that you mention it, I looked up and it does look like that may be solid rock. We see that a lot with evergreen trees around here, but I never noticed other trees growing that way. Sort of makes it even stronger, doesn’t it?
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My heart is with you and your loss–I can’t imagine. And my mind is with all the symbolic paths your tree takes me down…a lovely post.
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Thank you, Madeline. For whatever reason, that tree snapped into my mind when I decided I needed to write a blog.
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I love your tree!
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Thank you, Jennifer. Thanks for posting.
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