A Squirrel Among the Cherry Trees

I was all set to relax a little and close up the laptop, but then my eye caught sight of a black squirrel that I sometimes see in the garden. It was looking through the window at me and then suddenly leapt to another branch of an apple tree. And I noticed behind it, the cherry trees were coming into bloom. I love this time of year!

When I first moved here, one of my neighbours came into my garden and started pointing at the trees, saying, "Well, there’s an old apple tree, and here are a couple of cherry trees, but the rest”, he claimed with a sweeping hand at some saplings and feathered trees, “are a waste and should be cut down.”

In Nature, what is a “waste”?

My instincts told me not to take advice from someone with an automatic lawn mower and a garden devoid of life. I went to see the beetles who were aimlessly wandering around the branches of these “waste” trees, and without asking, it was clear they were having a rather fine time. I noticed bees buzzing around their branches and ants walking along their trunks.

What an arrogant thought to have, “Should I cut these down for being a waste?”

The beetles asked, what is a waste?

I couldn’t say. What is a waste in nature, do you know? I certainly do not. If I followed that line of thought, and between the two of us, I don’t like following any thoughts particularly, I would then ask, well, are the beetles a waste? What purpose am I serving here? Am I also a waste? I hope so. Who really wants to be useful when not to be means you can have plenty of time to talk to bees and beetles?

And now, I have around twelve little cherry trees coming into flower. The beetles were right, in a not-right-or-wrong sort of way.

I followed the squirrel outside and immediately felt better.… a little break to go out and smell the blossoms coming into flower. They are just picking up a scent, and my little heart skips a beat when their fragrance returns it to spring. There is a drizzle, and I know how quickly rain can trouble these flowers.

A path to the outside, no matter where it leads, is to me something I shouldn’t resist. I’m not really an indoor type. One step outside and I feel instantly better. Sure, I came back to complete this post, but I will return with a cup of tea and enjoy this little corner of wild earth.

Heath