“Homer’s descriptions of color in The Iliad and The Odyssey, taken literally, paint an almost psychedelic landscape: in addition to the sea, sheep were also the color of wine; honey was green, as were the fear-filled faces of men; and the sky is often described as bronze.” (Greek Color Explanations)
Although the cold nights have not hit the metro area yet, the rains/winds have been typical of early November. The garden is finishing with the growth battered downward at an angle, the leaves from the Alders and Maples everywhere. The roses had reached skyward one last time in October and were slow to bud out. The last efforts at blooms seem lost until late Spring. Time to “cut them back a bit.” The cold temps are closer.
“Cut them back a bit” was a term my Dad used around the yard. It was a term my Mom didn’t care for because it usually meant a careless, overdone pruning. My wife knows of this familial term and enjoys using it against me when I supposedly over trim back the growth. Everyone’s a critic!
I took my wife hiking-bushwhacking to a remote area that was quite historical over a hundred years ago. Now it is an overgrown area, that only a few history buffs and artifact diggers know of. We found an old short handled shovel and some tin pieces, but none of the pottery pieces and such that use to litter the area…this private, overgrown area.
I have it on good authority from an avid area historian that certain workers were buried up in these dense woods with their keepsakes and possessions in unmarked graves. This belief must be known by others because at one time, I encountered digging sites and some artifacts, but nothing to denote a grave.
So, this gawdy vision in the distance, moving with the cold wind caught our eye. Now what are the possibilities for such a marker well off the beaten path?
Now to clarify the decorative trappings: a small plastic princess crown that said “Happy Birtday”, A deflated, mylar balloon that said “I love you”, a deflated, mylar balloon that said “Happy Mother’s Day”, a deflated, mylar balloon for the Oregon State Beavers (OSU) along with the strung garland.
So why this spot out in the woods with no discernible trail to this spot?
Was this the end point of some Geo Tag Scavenger Hunt for Mom? Was this a one time favorite haunt for Mom so the family decided to celebrate her Birthday or Mother’s Day in the dense woods? Hmm? Was this where Mom came to, this place of solitude to end her life? Or was this where someone else decided to end Mom’s life? A shrine to Mom.
This is not your ordinary littering. This is someone marking a spot and leaving the markings behind in a manner that, for them, over rides the no-no in these parts of ‘defaming’ nature’s visuals. This is a flaming reminder to Mom amongst the earth tones of Fall.
Or perhaps you have a similar experience and know right away what this was about? Either way, a creepy little discovery of remembrance for someone unknown to us.
