(For)Ever-green

One of the joyful aspects of the season is choosing and cutting down an evergreen tree.  I hug trees as much as the next guy, but because we choose to go to a farm where trees are grown for this reason, just like the food we eat or the cotton like in the clothes we wear, we continue the tradition of bringing a tree indoors and adorning it with tiny lights and sparkly, beautiful trimmings during the holiday season.  As much as I appreciate them in the ground, I appreciate them in the purpose they now serve as well! 

Walking among the grounds through narrow pathways  (and watching out for previously-cut little stumps) we searched for The Perfect Tree.

When I say "perfect", I mean "perfect for us".  Of course height and width is important in the small space we place it inside our home, but we don't necessarily want it perfectly symmetrical, perfectly triangular, perfectly-spaced branches...  in fact, sometimes we look for imperfections--it is beautiful regardless (even without decorations!  We prefer sparcely-branched trees to allow our ornaments the 'dangle-and-shimmer' factor.  And if it has something on or inside it's branches, such as an old nest or a leaf or something, we regard it as a treasure and a reminder that the tree had it's time and place alive in the natural world and we leave it in as a decoration.

The needles, appropriately named, aid in survival, protecting the tree from drying out during the winter months, and their waxy-coating, besides adding beautiful shine, is water-proof!  To me, they're just gorgeous.

This year's Perfect Tree:

With an old saw that's cut many a tree in it's lifetime by a special tree man himself, our Perfect Tree was removed from the field, soon to be prepared for the next phase of it's life, thus fulfilling it's purpose.

This picture of a beautifully-adorned tree is in memory of a dear friend--exactly one year since his passing.

His beauty lives on forever.