Trees....

Trees?  Are my thing, I feel at home among them. I love trees, pure and simple, I always have and I always will.  I guess it's not surprising that I have become a Sasquatch Researcher, because it gives me ample time to be among the trees as a search for the BIG Girl, many of which are ancient spirits with much magic.  Trees are life;  they help all living beings, including us humans.  They simply make us feel better, more at ease, and help to guide us through tough times and?  They shade us from the heat of the summer sun.  Trees are living, breathing spirits and they know how to give a hug, literally.

The Mamma Oak

Just a short walk from home is a nature area filled with massive old Oak trees, and it is in this area where my beloved owls tend to nest.  In this area, there lives a huge, century plus oak tree who exudes nurturing and feminine energy the moment you are in her presence.  I call her the Mamma Oak.  She is without a doubt the mamma of all the oaks in the area, and she is stunningly beautiful.  Her limbs drop down like arms, embracing all who come to her.  She is nurturing, calming, healing, and a definite blessing to all.  When I am feeling down and out, a visit with Mamma Oak is what I need.  I rest my face on her trunk and yes, I hug her.  The feeling of her energy flows through and around me making me feel immediately better; calmness, oneness, it's all there.  She is nothing short of amazing.

Grandmother Pine

In the place we have dubbed the SquatchHERS research area, an area within a very large wildlife sanctuary, there lives many old pines, a couple I have come to know and visit each time I walk the woods there.  These two are quite old, and by old?  I mean centuries. 

 Grandmother is most likely between 150 and 200 years old, and has intense and nurturing

energy, much like Mamma Oak, but in a different way.  If she could speak, I can only imagine what she would tell us.  She is difficult to get to, lots of brush around her but I always make the trek to her, hug her, rest my cheek on her trunk and breathe.  She gives me so much, and I hope?  She receives the love and energy I share with her, it is minute compared to what she gives to me, but it's something I try to give back.

Mamma Pine

A couple miles further into the woodlands and wetlands lives another century plus pine, and of course this one I call Mamma Pine.  Like Mamma Oak her limbs feel like they are embracing you when you go to her.  You can't help but feel good when you touch her and take in her beautiful energy.  And?  I'm pretty sure the other pines near her are her offspring, much the same as Mamma Oak.  She is Beautiful!

My own yard is simply full of trees, truly my sanctuary.  When we moved in, there was but one Maple tree on the property line in front and a lonely Ash in back by the driveway.  It was a simply bland suburban lot.  21 years later, the two Maple trees I planted in the back have thrived and are now enormous untamed beauties.  The evergreen I planted in the front shortly after we moved in has grown into a gorgeous welcoming presence in continual battle with the Elm tree for space to breathe.  I had originally thought the Elm was a weed in the corner of my garden; but?  I discovered that it  was an Elm, who has a fighting and stubborn tree spirit.  I stepped back and watched this tree spirit do its thing, and now this tree is simply amazing.

Trees are sentient beings; they love and support each other (proven by many scientists) and us.  They teach us much about patience, healing, and calmness.  I will always save and protect them, and nuture the tree spirits with all I have.  They, after all, are weaved into the fabric that this Moonchild is made of :)

--StephieJean

My beloved owls have lost their babes this year...

Mamma the last time I saw her on the nest....

Many who know me know the Owl is my spirit animal.  There is a a pair of great horned owls who found me about a decade ago when a large area of undeveloped wooded lakeshore land near my home became a regional park.  My Duncan and I would walk those woods every day.  One day the owls appeared and shazaam, we have been connected every since.  It is like they are a part of the fabric that is me.  I've watched Mamma in the nest, enjoyed countless Owlettes, worried over them, prayed for them, and wondered at our amazing connection.

They give me so much.  When I'm anxious, stressed, and  think I'm not going to survive, they show up somewhere near me, talk to me, I believe they let me know that I will be OK.  I really do.  I can be so sad but when I hear them chattering to me, I know things will get better; and I FEEL better, almost immediately.

About a month ago, I was excitedly anticipating that the eggs that Mamma Owl had been incubating since mid-January would soon hatch; that I would see the first sign of the beautiful literary tle fuzzy heads sometime in March.  I had visited Mamma on a Monday and noticed that she was sitting funny on the nest;  I wondered if one of the babes had already hatched. I planned on trekking through the woods every other day or so to check in....this is always an exciting time, but with our crazy weather this year, it snowed …again.  A lot of inches, so I didn’t return until Friday afternoon, in the time of twilight when the owls hunt.  My favorite time to be in the woods with them, it's that pretty light that I love.

When I arrived at the nest, the owls were nowhere in sight.  I know that Mamma NEVER leaves the nest.  Never.  The supernatural connection between the owls and me is strong and?  Intuitively I knew that they had deserted the nest. But I waited around anyway, trudging through the deep snow, through the trees, searching for them.  But in my heart?  I knew that the extreme cold, 30 below for days at time, had taken the babies.  The woods had an empty feeling, and my heart knew the eggs weren’t ever going to hatch.  

I cried, sobbed really.   Tears streamed down my face; I couldn’t come to terms with this knowledge and so I stayed for some time.  I kept the vigil, came back later that night, at least hoping to hear the pair; but nothing.  I returned the next morning, but again, the woods were empty of my beloved owls.

I mourned the loss of the owlets, but mostly?  My heart broke for beautiful Mamma, who had stayed in that nest box, protecting the eggs keeping them warm for more than a month.  A month.  Can you just imagine being cramped up like that, for over 30 days?

The owls frequent the trees near my home, and after their departure from the nest I kept a constant lookout for them, I was always listening for their wonderful voices.  Then, late one night, not too long after, they came to us.  It was late, and my daughter Kacie opened the deck door and yelled “Mom, come out!  The Owls are here.”  

I leapt out of bed, threw on my robe, down jacket, big boots and went out onto the deck.  Sure enough, Mamma and Pappa were close; I heard them and I of course loudly began talking to them like always,  “Mamma, you are here!”  I was soooo relieved to feel and hear her.  

A few seconds after, Mamma began her story.  She was letting me know that they were OK, and?  I truly believe she recounting the story of what had happened.  I could FEEL their grief, and the happiness I felt at knowing they were all right?  Was quickly replaced by a feeling of great loss and sadness.  While Mamma was chatting, Pappa would interject occasionally with his wonderful low voice, but this was Mamma’s time.  After about 10 minutes or so, she quieted.  The tragedy had been shared with their human, and their biggest fan.  Once again tears came as I thought about the rapid hoots of Mamma’s beautiful voice, spilling out her story to Kacie and me.

Difficult to take, I haven't told many people of this.  It's personal and emotional, and quite heart wrenching.  They have been near, and I do so hope to lay eyes on them in the light of day soon, my beloved owls.

--Stephie Jean

Mamma looks defeated in this pic that I snapped the last time I saw her on the nest.