A Valentine for a White Oak Tree

There is a little park in the middle of town that I discovered only last August. It's called Tom Tudek Park, and the original property the park sits on was once a farmstead years ago. I lived in Park Forest Apartments from the mid-1980s into the 1990s, and sometimes walked along this area before the park was born, back when the land was still nothing but farmland and trees.

I had not been there in several months. In fact, it's been alternating between ultra-cold weather and snow, and there are times when I barely even get to drive my car. This week, things are melting and mild and I am out driving again. This day was Valentine's Day. Where did I want to go? Why, of course, to visit one of my favorite trees!

The original farm buildings are still part of this property, and between those buildings and the community gardens sits one of the most magnificent white oak trees I have ever met. I had just lost a beloved white oak tree, you see, just before I met this one. I was ready to love again; you might even say that my soul was aching to find a new tree to love.

In summertime, the community gardens are busy and full. You will find lots of things growing there, and many happy birds, checking things out. There is a butterfly garden nearby, which is a big lure for a butterfly lover such as myself. In that butterfly garden, I met a brand new butterfly one day; and watched monarchs meet and kiss on a single bloom.

But there were no butterflies on this day. Just snow, and benches, and fences, and a pair of horses in the pasture by the barn. I enjoyed the scenery, snapped some pictures, but I mostly had eyes only for this tree.

In the shot above, you may see my white oak tree. There is a black bird in the upper left quadrant, and when I walked under the tree, the bird flew from branch to branch. Several flocks of tiny birds arrived later and sat in its crown; they all adore this tree.

I've included two extra photos to help give you a better sense of this place. The first extra (actually my favorite shot) includes a bit of the community gardens, which seem so empty and bereft this time of year. The second extra, shot in mono, shows the fence around the horse pasture, the barn, and the tree.

I am a lover of winter's beauties, but I have to admit that I miss the butterflies and the flowers. I remember some years ago, my father told me not to worry about the roses in winter time: that they are not dead, but sleeping beneath the snow. So the gardens, while they look empty, may not actually be.

Still, this seemed a good choice for the soundtrack song: Elton John, with Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny). Which is, of course, a love song. Here are three live versions of it through the years: one of its first performances, on Saturday Night Live in April 1982, a 1999 performance, and the most recent one, Las Vegas in 2017.