The Tree's Memorial

Beware: This post reveals my inner-tree-hugger.

Springtime in Bloomington is gorgeous. It has to be, thus far, the most beautiful place that I have been during spring. It is, after all, called "Blooming"-ton for a reason. All the trees bloom. White, yellow, pink, purple, and even a light green.

On my walks to work in the morning, I get to see all shades of these colors as they appear in the dawning light of the sun. They are spectacular.

As I got to campus this morning, I walked by a new chain-link fence that had been set up to block students from walking through a construction zone. The fence, set up a couple of weeks ago, has forced me to divert my path, as I used to stroll across a bridge and walk along a stream to get to the next street. As I would walk across the bridge, I could sometimes catch a glimpse of the muskrat that lived in the stream. One day, as you can recall from a past blog, the muskrat was carrying an apple the size of his head back to his nest. The apple came from a tree that was right next to the stream.

Last spring, the apple tree was gorgeous. It has the most beautiful white blossoms all over it. When they fell from the tree, the petals carried on the breeze like snowflakes.

This morning, as I was walking past the fence, I could hear machinery. When I climbed the stairs next to the fence so I could see above it, I saw what had become of the apple tree.

The tree is now a pile of tangled branches and broken trunk, covered in a layer of construction dust.

Despite my understanding that with the new apartments they are building on campus, they will need more parking, I was still fairly upset over the loss of what I had come to think of as "Mr. Muskrat's Apple Tree." All I could think about was the fact that I would not see the tree in bloom this year. It should have been peaking right about now.

So, here is to you, Mr. Muskrat's Tree. You will not be forgotten. You have been preserved in both my own memory and in the pictures I had taken in the past of the doe and her 2 fawns lounging under your boughs.

How to keep things together

I am pretty sure, before the end of the year, that my head is going to start falling apart, chunk by gooey chunk. I have never questioned my ability to handle multiple stressors. I mean, I made it through grad school, right? Yes. Yes I did. AND I got an A in Medieval Latin Hagiography. Thank you.

I think that was stresses me out the most is that I have not listed to myself all the things that I have to juggle, negotiate, or at least think about right now. Now, since I cant find the "private" button on this thing and so everyone and their mother can read it, this will be an abbreviated list. :) Here goes.

1. My brother's wedding. We leave next Thursday to drive up to MN. I am excited about this. Not only do I get to dress pretty and party with the fam, but I get to stay in a hotel on the way up. I love hotels. Even crappy ones.

2. Peter's sister's wedding in May. We are flying to that one. I have left it up to Peter to make all the arrangements as far as transportation, floors to sleep on, etc. I still think about it though... like, has Peter contacted his sisters yet? His parents? Will we have someone picking us up at the airport? Do I have to start nagging? Etc. You get the idea.

3. Our wedding in June. We have the large stuff out of the way. What I am now thinking about is the fact that I have yet to do the online test, set up further counseling appts, get the marriage license, order wedding rings, set up music, get a musician?, figure out flowers, order fresh lavender, make centerpieces, send invites, make invites (not in that order). The list goes on. Its the small stuff. I LOVE the small stuff, so honestly, I'm not actually stressed about it as much as I am concerned about how I am going to negotiate the TIME to do it. I want to do it RIGHT.

4. Moving. Yes. Moving. Not outside of Bloomington, not yet. We have to vacate our apartment on June 30. Yes. Same month as the wedding. This is not our fault. Rather it is related to #5, so see below.

5. P and a Job. P is graduating in June. He is applying for jobs. We don't know how long we will be in Bloomington past June. Therefore, we need a short lease or a month-to-month lease. That doesnt exist where we live, so we are (hopefully!) moving down the street. I am starting to HATE moving. It is doubly bad that we may be moving more than once this year when P gets a job. OR, alternatively, he will move without me and I will live out our lease until December, then I will follow him. GUH.

6. June 18th is the first day of summer II classes. I am launching (i think...) an online course for that summer session. Now. This is exciting... yes, but honestly, I have some details to work out on that. Hahah. I need to do that.

7. New position. I LOVE my new job. However, portions of my old job have followed me to my new job (budget cuts and all...). These old things have bogged down the new things so I dont get to do the new things as much as I would like. Boo. Hiss.

8. J&J's wedding in October... in Missouri. I am a bridesmaid! Wooo! Now I have to order a dress and book a hotel. We wont be able to do anything else until we know WHERE WE ARE LIVING IN OCTOBER.

9. My sister's wedding in October... in Minnesota.. the weekend after J&J's. Not a prob. This gives me a GREAT excuse to take a week and a half off and do a road trip. :) There are just a lot of little things that I need to start thinking about that I CANT think about until we know where we stand in October.

How does so much hinge on a few tiny details? I have no idea. Life is like that I guess. Now that I look at the list, it's not that bad. In fact, it is less scary than I thought.

This is, like I said, an abbreviated list. However, even with some things missing, it really still isn't that bad, and that makes me feel good.

Thanks for listening.