Like a Tree Falling
Barton Springs Early Morning Swim Report, Sort of
I swam Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday this week, unremarkably & unremarked upon. Tuesday (I think) I saw 5AM fireflies, which felt lucky. (One of the most memorable moments of my life was seeing my French sister-in-law, who did not know such a thing existed, see fireflies for the first time in Texas.)
Friday when my watch shook me awake I decided to roll over & sleep, which I nearly never do, & now I’m seized with regret. It thundered and lightninged for much of last night, & may well tomorrow as well. Though the worst of the storm was over this morning, it still sounded as though the Gods were moving furniture. I don’t, as I have said in this space, mess with outdoor swimming pools & thunderstorms.
This week we had to have the magnificent elm in our backyard taken down. It had dropped boughs in three storms (two ice, one thunder-), & the arborist who’d kept it going said it was time. A few years ago he’d put steel cables to hold it together, which also meant that when the boughs broke, they swung toward the tree & were kept aloft & nothing was damaged. They could have held a cradle, baby and all. The tree turned out to be full of rot so this morning we were grateful it was already gone, and we missed it acutely, as is so often the case with a suffering, troublesome loved one in stormy weather.
Lordy, I love this. Especially as mothers' day approaches. My troublesome mother managed to die on mothers' day, after a lifetime of poo-pooing the event, so I never remember the actual date of her death. But boy does this resonate with me today: "The tree turned out to be full of rot so this morning we were grateful it was already gone, and we missed it acutely, as is so often the case with a suffering, troublesome loved one in stormy weather." Thank you, Elizabeth McCracken, I think I'll go take a leisurely swim this afternoon in the local college pool now that the students have left for home.
Emerald Ash Borers did a number on the wooded area of my parcel. While they were turning into standing deadwood, I had a head injury which kept me from taking them down neatly. Ensuing stormy weather has broken many of them off which means a heck of a mess to clean up.