Scrub Oaks

 

Pam and Ella



 



there is just something about the fall... the cooler air, frost on the windshields, harvesting from the garden, enormous sunflowers, canning and making jellies and whatnot, fall leaves and birdseed and, most of all the glorious "crazy quilt" of colors that transform the emerald green mountains around my little mountain town into a celebration of everything that is good about life. and not wanting to miss one second of it by being indoors.  It happens every year just when the scrub oak trees turn to maroon and russet and the little acorns turn brown and pop off the trees (to the absolute delight of my children), I start thinking of my friend Pam. When I moved back to my hometown after college in my late twenties, I started working at a local preschool, Kinderhaus. Pam was the cook. We instantly became friends. shared tea and cooking recipes, taking our dogs for long ambling doggie walks and talking about... life. And laughing. And crying. And crafting. We followed each other to another preschool in town and became teachers together. There is something about teaching preschool with someone. If it's a good relationship it bonds you to that person, forever. We explored favorites like Bev Bos and Steve Spangler. We laughed over dirty diapers, two year old tantrums, sledding mishaps. We christianed "The Momma Tree" and spent many hours underneath her (she's been cut down now) with small children, showing them how to wonder at the world. We painted, glued, sang and danced. I will never forget Pam teaching me how to dance the RIGHT way to Ernie's (of Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street) favorite song "Doing the ooh ooh Pigeon". I cried when Pam's life took her away from our little valley. And, we kept in touch. I visited her, she visited my cabin. She wrote much more than I did (I'm so bad at that). I was a little envious when Pam became pregnant, getting to be a Mommy before me, which is something that I SOOOO wanted. But I was so excited for her too. And then, just a few months after Pam had her beautiful baby, Ella, Theo came unexpectedly into my life and there we were, two friends who, really, should be raising their kiddos together but were seperated by a few states. And then Pam moved again. To Maine. 



Pam's view of Maine



So far away. But, still, we kept in touch. And laughed over the phone. And then facebook came along and now, at least, we can touch each other's lives daily. And we WILL go visit her someday. I'm saving up money now (it will take a few years, and I want my kids to really be old enough to remember it) But, still, whenever the scrub oaks turn to that beautiful dark red color, I really start missing my friend Pam. and wishing that Colorado and Maine were just a little bit closer together.