Which Trees Exactly

 

 

            Ramona did like the cinnamon rolls. She liked them so much that she started wondering how she could bake on her open fire. It was definitely something to consider. She was thinking that maybe a large metal box or pot to put upside down on her big flat pan would contain enough heat to bake things made of bread dough. But, in the meantime, that day continued in its pleasant round of activities, in the usual way.
            She though many times during the day of Twigg and Leely, of course. She was fully on board with the building project and had some ideas of her own. She had been giving a lot of thought to keeping house inside of a building. It was like a game almost. She would ask herself; now how would I do such and such.
            Ramona also wondered how the time spent in Mak’s world would affect her son and his wife. That was a wide-open question.
            The next morning came. She didn’t cook so much as before with Twigg not present, but she was up first, as early as usual, stirring some oatmeal and raisins when Ralph emerged from the cave, stretching and grinning, happy as a big kid.
            “Today is the day, Mona my love,” he said. “I better go get Ooog out of bed!”
            “I would be very surprised if you found Ooog sleeping, Baby! I believe you will find him up, dressed, fed and ready to go,” said Ramona. “Better have some porridge before you take off, Sir!”
            So, like the very good bear, so to speak, that he was, Ralph had his breakfast of oats and raisins with butter before going to find Ooog.
            As predicted by Ramona, Ooog was ready to go when Ralph got to his door. But, before leaving, they finished off the cinnamon rolls, with big mugs of peppermint tea. Thus, fortified, Ralph and Ooog went out into the early spring morning. It was still pretty chilly, which didn’t bother Ralph one bit, but Ooog was all bundled up with sweater, jacket, leather trousers, wool socks, and hat, and knee length leather moccasins.
            Thaga’s cat, sitting on the stone steps, yawned as they left the house.
            Their breath streamed out in the air as they crunched along through the still snowy tall grass. Every day during the day time more of it melted away, but every night the snow that remained froze up again, so it was still a workout for Ooog. He’s only about 5’4”, so together they presented quite a picture. His braid had grown almost to his knees, so the end was tucked into his jacket pocket.
            Now, out there in the second meadow, near the ancient firs, there was a stand of mature, but rather spindly alders. Twigg had thought to use saplings, but he had been a single young fellow at that point, and not really thinking seriously of housekeeping, with all of its requirements.
            So, Ralph and Ooog decided to take up the design and execution of the tree house.
            “Should it be round or square, Ooog?” said Ralph, while staring at the stand of alders with narrowed eyes, looking for a likely configuration.
            “Well, let’s see what we see here,” said Ooog. “We need a bare space in the middle large enough to live in. I don’t think it matters if it’s round or square or an oval really, Ralph.”
            “That makes sense,” said Ralph.
            So, the guys walked around hmming and squinting at trees, and measuring spaces out with footsteps. Finally, both of them were happy with a certain grouping of trees.
            A dozen alders enclosing a rough oval of space of about twenty feet wide and fifteen feet deep with a wider space toward the east was the group they chose to work with.
            “I think the doorway should face the east, don’t you?” said Ralph.
            “Yes, for the morning light,” said Ooog. Little crinkles formed at the corners of his pale blue eyes. He nodded. Ralph grinned.
            “I’m thinking of a floor made of rocks fit together, with maybe mortar between them, if we can get it smooth enough, or maybe a concrete floor, or maybe just planks,” said Ooog. “What do you think, Ralph?”
            “Maybe we should ask Ramona and Thaga what they think about floors,” said Ralph.
            “Good idea,” said Ooog. “But I think the concrete would be the easiest.”
            “I can see that,” said Ralph. “It would be like smoothing out mud or clay, and that’s not very hard.”
            “What do you want to do first,” said Ooog.
            “Well, we have to convince these trees to gather together at their tops in a nice round dome shape,” said Ralph, already thinking.
            “How do you mean that? Convince these trees?” said Ooog, beginning to get the picture, regardless.
            “I think I can talk them into it. Don’t you? You’ve known me for a long time. Right?” laughed Ralph. “And you can help!”
            They went to each tree, one at a time, and put their hands on its trunk, one high and one low, and Ralph blessed each one separately in the name of the Maker. Even Ooog could feel something stirring. The trees were waking up!
            “Maybe there are Tree Spirits,” Ooog thought to himself.
            Then Ralph and Ooog stood in the middle among the blessed trees and Ralph sang a song called “Grow Together, and Let Your Branches Embrace!”
            “Now, it’s just a matter of time. But I don’t think it will be very long,” said Ralph. “The vision in my mind is of a living wooden structure, round at the top, with all the branches laying in position on the round top, and embracing on the sides, and leafing out that way. You see what I mean. Then as time goes on it will just become tighter and firmer,” said Ralph.
            “I’ll still have to build an internal roof or ceiling I think, because it won’t be rain proof at first,” said Ooog.
            “You’re right, of course,” said Ralph.
            “Let’s go talk to Thaga and Ramona about floors, and see what’s for lunch, don’t you think, Ooog?” said Ralph.
            “Yep,” said Ooog, and with that they began walking back home, with the late morning sun in their eyes.

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