plant a tree for Gabriel

Perhaps this should be “plant a tree for Gabriel and Shawn” now.

Tonight Tommy and I talked about when we could do this and decided that because oaks grow so slowly, we will plant two fast growing maples for both the boys, and when we buy our own land with our own home, where we will live permanently, we will plant oaks there, one for each child.

How to Hatch a Tree from Nature Moms Blog

My little acorn in the pot has failed to sprout. I think the acorns were too old when I went to plant it. When I dug down to investigate, it had gone all black and rotten.

I did a search for acorn germination and what came up was to make sure to plant green acorns.

“Acorns from Kentucky” seems like the only possiblity right now.

For anyone reading this (I’m still in shock I currently have 7 subscribers!), you’d have to read quite far back in my entries to see that last year, Tommy, Gabriel and I went to visit Tommy’s family in Kentucky for three wonderful months. We flew down, and Tommy’s mother drove us back up.

While in Kentucky I noticed that the area is rife with the most beautiful oak trees. The park had a jogging trail and I frequently went for walks with Gabriel in the snuggli, Zoe the boxer we adopted while there, and K the neighbor girl, or A, Tommy’s brother’s ex-girlfriend, both of whom I became friends with.

The path was always covered in acorns. Small acorns, large acorns, acorns with and without their caps. I always meant to pick up a few and take them home, but a baby in a snuggli, a hyper boxer and no pockets really made it hard.

So on the drive home to here in Ontario, at a rest stop in Ohio, I found and seized my last chance to bring home an American acorn.

Gabriel was with his daddy and grandma and both Zoe and I were stretching our legs. There were fallen acorns on the sidewalk, so I picked a few up, wrapped them in a tissue, and tucked them into my bag.

There they have remained since last October, until two days ago.

I took a clay pot, some soil, and the best looking acorn from the group, and I planted it.

It is sitting out in full sun by the garden, and I fervently hope it germinates.

When and if it does, I will transplant it to the site I chose in our backyard, where I buried Gabriel’s placenta. Having had the most amazing natural, midwife assisted birth center birth, we were given Gabriel’s placenta, rather than it being thrown away. It had been in the freezer since his birth, waiting.

It was very important to me to get to commit this piece of both of us – the link that he and I were connected to for 9 months – to the earth. It was profoundly moving when I buried it, and I prayed and even cried.

So now, if my little oak tree sprouts, and grows big enough for transplantation, Gabriel will have “his” tree, in the form of a majestic oak. (“Made in Canada, with American parts” – just like he is!)

We have the spot in our yard picked out for Gabriel’s tree to be planted, but no actual tree yet. I don’t know what KIND of tree we want yet, either.

I don’t believe in the Zodiac, but I thought it would be symbolic to plant his Celtic Zodiac tree, the Willow. However oak trees are very symbolic to Tommy and I as well, as we were married beneath the oak tree in the back field.

And as much as I love the weeping willow, the water requirements would be impossible.

But then again, maples are in great abundance here – our ditch is growing several tiny maples that need to be relocated…

This site allowed me to enter in the traits I’m looking for; fast growing and shade, and this site is allowing me to see if it will grow in our zone. _{(Because goodness forbid that arborday.com include CANADA as part of the zone map! Doing THAT would make sense!)}

And I came across the willow oak. Now there is an idea…