On a clear day

I shared this photo with some friends of mine, and one of them said, "It's a shame the magnolia tree is gone."

This was the view from my tea porch when I was still living at Mama's house. In the spring and summer, I would sit out there on a rocking chair, drinking Cokes, listening to the radio, and reading. I preferred it outside because it was so cold inside -- Mama loved air conditioning. And I was skinny, so I was always cold. I've gotten over that particular malady.

I told some of my friends some of the background about Mama's house, and part of the story is that she cut down some massive magnolia trees that totally hid the house from view. When my friend saw the picture, she assumed that it was an old picture.

No, no -- that tree still stands, right where it was when I was 16. I tried to climb it once, because I was always climbing magnolia trees when I was a little girl in Georgia. But this particular tree's branches are too dense for a big girl to climb. I wasn't small enough; I wasn't agile enough to snake through the limbs and make any headway on that tree.

Its density never hindered my love for it, though. Every spring it bloomed; every Christmas it provided greenery for Mama's holiday arrangements. All the rest of the time, it was perfect and green and straight and tall.

I hope the new owners don't cut it down.