Half of the cottonwood fell. We are planting a new tree to guard
against the day the other half goes. I want to insure a patch of shade for the
future. When digging to prepare the bed I discovered a layer of charcoal about
6 inches down. Is it from the fire that burned the first schoolhouse in 1944? The
yard is framed by its foundation. Have the remnants of that long ago fire
remained just under the surface? Or is the charcoal from more recent history.
The current schoolhouse burned in the 1980’s. The wood floors bare scorch marks
from that fire. Did the yard burn too and leave this evidence? Either way, it
is a reminder of my being just a part of a long history. Long after I am gone
this place will remain, either as the building it is, or as remnants in the
dirt. Perhaps something of me will be etched into the floorboards or buried in
the ground. Another curious individual or bird or animal will peck at some
curiosity I have left behind and wonder to its origin.
