Sylvia's Journal

Axel’s loving care, Sita’s herbal concoctions (mullein, ginger, elderberry) and Tessa’s sick tea recipe (lemon, ginger, apple cider, garlic and cayenne), nursed me back to health. I felt good enough for an early morning swim, twice, but that backfired (or something else did) and triggered a bad cold. I was a very unpleasant house mate, coughing my brains out and spitting gunk out of my lungs but the fever was gone. I was grateful for working at a place where it is encouraged to stay at home when sick and discouraged to return prematurely, with plenty of sick leave available to recover at my body’s own pace.

On Sunday we gathered at the house of friends to say farewell to a tree that was filled with memories, insects, furry animals, and viral and/or fungal agents slowly contributing to its demise. It also stood in the way of a solar panel project and thus had to go. There was poetry and storytelling, there was a photo display from long ago, and much touching of the tree as if saying goodbye to a friend on her deathbed.

The next day we walked by the house and there was no trace of the tree – every bit of it was gone. Now the solar panels could march in and take their place on the roof, unimpeded by an old sick tree.