Thursday, April 1, 2010

Surprises!

I love surprises! Isn't it fun when something unexpected happens to interrupt an otherwise ordinary day? Of course not all surprises are welcome ones. There are some that one would rather not have.

Yesterday brought a couple of surprises. Fortunately, both of them were welcome additions to my ordinary Wednesday.

The first came with the felling of a tree in my front yard. We decided to cut the tree closest to the pond because we were having trouble getting grass to grow underneath it. The soil would wash into the pond with each heavy rain.



Since my dad and John wanted the tree to fall up hill, I couldn't watch the actual cutting of the tree. John used the tractor to push the tree in the right direction, and my dad made the appropriate cuts to send the tree where he wanted. Although I knew that my dad is very experienced at this, I still get a little nervous at the thought of the tree not cooperating with them.



All went as planned, and the tree fell exactly where they directed it. The surprise came after it was down. We did not know it, but the tree was completely hollowed out in the center. This is something that occurs naturally in some trees, and must have been like that for years. Since the tree always looked healthy and full, we never knew that it was hollow.



As they were cutting the tree, they noticed a squirrel jumping out of the top of it. There was a hole near the top where squirrels could come and go as they pleased. (No wonder my bird feeders have been invaded, their home was just a few feet away from them!) We were worried that maybe there was a nest of babies in the tree, so my dad made each cut carefully. Fortunately, there were no babies to be seen!

I was a little concerned about the squirrels losing their home, but my dad said that he has found many trees like this; so they will likely find another easily. Isn't it amazing how God provides homes for the animals He created. His provision is evident all around us!

The second surprise came in the form of a phone call asking me what my plans for Wednesday night were. Usually I work with the children at church, but since this was a fifth Wednesday night we did not have our children's meetings. My cousin wanted me to go with her to the Blumethal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte to see Jersey Boys- The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I was so excited! I love musicals and couldn't wait!



I don't normally do anything in the middle of the week, so this was a treat. The show was fantastic! Although the language was rough at times, the music was incredible! When the show was over we walked out onto the street, the temperature was still around seventy at 10:30 at night. Even though I'm a country girl, I have to admit that there is a certain beauty in the city when it is lit up at night. It's nice to live close enough to have the best of both worlds.

It's nice to have surprises that come in the middle of an ordinary week, isn't it?

6 comments:

Roses and Lilacs said...

I never got a chance to see Jersey Boys altho I really wanted to. Love the music!!!

Many of the trees around my farm are really old and I see those rotten centers often. Usually I see them when they fall unexpectedly somewhere I didn't want them to fall:)
Marnie

tina said...

I'm glad the tree came down safely. Odd it was hollow like that. I hope you had a blast at Jersey Boys!

Debra@CommonGround said...

What a lovely place you have, a pond on the property sounds wonderful. And from reading back, the sweet kittie, and your spirea, love them both, then a trip to see the Jersey Boys. so much fun. love them.
Have a wonderful Easter,
Debra

sweetbay said...

Isn't it funny that the tree could be hollow and still look healthy? Must be because the nutrients and water go up the tree just underneath the bark. You have to wonder if a hurricane or even bad thunderstorm would have brought it down eventually.

Katarina said...

We also had a tree taken down last year, which turned out to be hollow! It's strange...
Happy Easter!

Chandramouli S said...

Nature has mysterious ways! She cares for all her children, but unfortunately we think that she was created only for us - humans!