I remember dangling my fingers along those leafy branches as row after row stretched out before my young eyes. My feet flew to catch up with my daddy’s long striding big boot prints as he left one after another in the soft soil before me. The blue sky sang bright with birds tweet tweeting their greetings and the shade of the treed canopies cooled my hot summer cheeks.
I remember rainbows of light bouncing and playing upon tree leaves as I skipped past, leaving a sense of magic in our empty wake as beams of light continued to quietly dance with the changing sun long after we were gone.
Most people remember my father as a farmer, a leader, a businessman and a dad.
While all of those are true I think he found a lot of joy from simply planting seeds and seeing them grow.
Whether those seeds came to fruition as a seed crop of beets or an ornamental deciduous street tree he found peace and great reward by seeing them grow.
I remember him most as a steward of the land, the animals, the plants and his nursery stock. Since he was born in the spring it makes sense that he found the most joy when the fields awoke to the warmth of the sun's face as it whispers “it’s time”.
This time of year reminds me of clicking the camera
and seeing his smiling face staring back at me through the lens as he stands next to one of his trees and proudly shows the height ratio. I grew up watching our mom taking his picture and as the years passed he would take one of us kids at various times to take his picture to send to prospective buyers.
I remember Latin most of all. Wherever we went my dad and mom would discuss the binomial nomenclature of any trees that came across our path. Meaning, we simply discussed the latin root names of trees. From Nyssa Sylvatica and Metasequoia Glyptostroboides to Magnolia Grandiflora Edith Bogue and Acer Griseum those were just a few of the many mentionables. These words became a type of music all their own and further instilled in me how magical the presence of trees can be in one's life.
Trees give a life of their own and fill our outdoor rooms with a peace and contentment that fills the soul. So if you get a chance to attend one of our events at The Lady please take a second and admire the various ornamental specimens that grace our gardens because they are known lovingly as “Marks Trees”.
In honor of my dad, Mark’s, April 6th birthday I thought it would be fun to show some of his tree’s back then in his fields and today in our yard. Dad’s trees still shade our summer cheeks during our hot summer weddings. When I look at his trees, I see him smile.