Tree Man

I have been splitting wood a lot these days. Last spring my brother Steven came across the country to help me by taking down eighteen fir trees, most about a hundred feet high. When he went back home, I wondered how I was going to deal with all those trees on the ground, and eventually started hauling, stacking and splitting all on my own! I like doing it - didn't really think I could - and love that strong women stay young and live longer.

    
It had taken me years and years to be willing to cut down even one tree, but with my garden in too much shade I finally asked my brother to help. How generous of a bro is that, to leave his family and work and travel all the way across the country, then work so hard while here? I love my brother!
     He was so respectful, he LOVES trees as do I. Once when we were kids he transplanted a willow tree about twenty feet high, and every day he stood there talking to it, watering and watering, just willing it to live.     
     Back to my place this past spring. Steve was up every morning early and was a delight to watch - he walked straight up each tree using just his ankle spurs and hands. Then he would loop a rope from his waist around the crown and let go, floating sort of like Tinkerbell up there in the branches with his saw. He showed me how to do knots and pull on the rope from the bottom, saying, "Make sure you walk away so the tree doesn't come down on you."     
     Once a tree was down, Steve cut it into rounds, the ones I am now splitting for firewood. We both worked to get every piece and branch and twig in order before going to the next. Nothing wasted, all in order, zen beautiful. And he would study each tree carefully, plan his moves, before he went to work, because he would have to fell a 100-foot giant into a 30-foot space. He could fell a tree to within an inch of where he wanted it to go. Always a pleasure to watch a master in any field.

     Working side by side with my brother was a privilege and wonderful pleasure. I took good care to feed him like a king, made sure he drank lots of water and soaked his sore muscles, got him to the chiropractor and masseuse, gave him warm milk with honey at bedtime. We laughed a lot - he and I were born on the same day, though not twins, and always close.     
     I had been afraid that taking down my beautiful trees would seem a great loss, but because my tree-loving brother worked with such care and respect, it all felt like a healthy change. I can never thank Steve enough for all the sunshine in my garden this summer, the good harvest, and the cozy warmth in my house now that the weather is cold and rough. And there are still at least three hundred or so trees left, in fact my place is called Little Woodland Farm.

Thanks again, Steve!

Raising Children?

We are born intelligent beings, intuitive from our first moments and able to respond to simple understandings - understandings that are in the best interest of the little developing self as well as the bigger people who are responsible for shelter, warmth, nourishment and guidance. Supporting just that, this article about using some of Cesar Milan's dog-training techniques to raise children has some surprisingly valuable and useful suggestions:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/fashion/22dog.html?_r=1
     But you don't have to take it from the Dog Whisperer. There is a fabulous book with similar ideas just for raising children, by Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D. and Vicki Soltz, R.N. It is called Children: The Challenge. Looking back, I would have saved my son and myself a lot of grief if I had been ready to know about and use this book when he was a little boy. The book, rich with day-to-day examples, offers many insights into the concept of "logical consequences" - meaning that a child is given to understand and assess options in any given situation. He is loved and cared for without over-indulgence, without harsh strictness, and offered the opportunity for constructive behavior. Self-respect and respect of others are both part of the picture.
     If this seems like an impossibility, consider the simple fact that in primitive societies where there are no Pampers or babywipes, the tiniest of infants learn when and where to pee and poop. And never any diaper rash.
     Get a copy of Children: The Challenge and see for yourself.

I have worked with kids all my life and taught a lot of art and writing. Last year I was teaching a creative writing class at a school in my neighborhood and found the kids to be restless for handson activities. I luckily got another teaching grant but this time it was for puppetry. What a difference! The kids were excited and their excitement spread to their peers, teachers and families. We did two really great shows even though they had hardly any time to practice. When summer came I decided to learn everything possible about this magical and multi-faceted artform and opened up my own little roaming puppet theater. Kids and families were thrilled with the activities and shows. I've learned that all personality types respond happily to puppets. One mom with a little autistic boy who had screaming fits (and nothing but) finally started talking to him with a puppet. He was enchanted, and she was able to build a bridge of communication and enormous healing for her son.