The Susie Forest

Last week I spoke before a Philanthropy class at Whitworth University. While preparing for it I got lots of insights into The Susie Forest and my motives for devoting so much of my time and energy to it.

First of all, the giving part: I do donate enough money to plant 10 trees a year in Spokane city and county. This gives those governments more trees to plant than their budgets allow.  After planting a tree on the anniversary of Susie’s death and on her birthday, I have eight more trees and so I am giving those trees a second time to a group, a person or an event.

What I get back: These are not altruistic donations because I receive so much more than I give. First of all, I keep Susie’s name and influence out there in the world where she should BE! Secondly, I get this wonderful feeling as I help people find personal meaning in the trees we plant together. Thirdly, I meet the most wonderful people. Fourthly, Susie’s death has forced me to grow so much, so much that I can speak in front of classes and groups. And lastly, I get the most wonderful high every time a tree is planted and I want to keep planting trees so that I don’t have to come down.

It was COLD yesterday at Riverfront Park, but luckily there was no snow (like there was this morning). The last three trees were in the ground when I arrived and so the planting crew and I waited for the first of (I hoped) the many people I invited.

I was edgy and nervous as if I had never planted a tree before, but as the people arrived those feelings disappeared and were replaced by the feelings of joy that the spring plantings in the Susie Forest were beginning.

My friend Gene Lorenson from Friendship Force played the bagpipe as we walked toward the grove and began hanging the tree- grams. All of the ten trees were graced with messages of love and hope.

That’s what trees can do: Take a day of great sorrow and bring great joy to it.

Thanks to all the people who braved the raw weather and came out to help celebrate the great life that was Susie’s.

The 21st of March is a very sad day. It is the day of Susie’s death. And yet, now it is the start of a very happy time, the spring tree planting season. On Wednesday both these feelings will be very strong in me. It is the 10th anniversary of the worst day of my life, but we will be planting a Susie Grove of 10 trees and talking about the wonderful, dynamic person she was.
Tomorrow I will go down to Riverfront Park and watch most of the Ponderosa pines go into the ground and then on Wednesday people will come and we’ll plant the last of them. We’ll write tree-grams, eat cookies and talk about Susie and perhaps cry when the bagpiper plays Amazing Grace.
So here I sit with tears running down my cheeks dreading and looking forward to March 21st.

After six weeks with no tree activities and serious withdrawal symptoms, it was so great to attend two tree meetings this afternoon and hear about plans for 2012. I’m not a member of either committee, but they’re used to me attending every meeting and they allow me to give citizen’s input.

Today I gave them some 2011 stats and here they are:
111 trees planted (there may be four or five more when I get confirmation of the plantings).
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84 trees planted in Spokane, 37 planted by Urban Forestry.
States with new Susie Forest trees
CT – 1
VA – 8
MO – 1
WY – 2
OR – 1
Countries with new Susie Forest trees
Japan – 4
Pakistan – 1
Canada – 1

And I donated to Heifer International for a tree planting project in Haiti.

What a great year 2011 was and we’ll make 2012 even better!

This fall was such a busy time with trips and tree plantings and housesitting and being under the weather that I have sorely neglected this blog. I resolve to do a better job!!

It was such a great planting spree this fall with trips to Connecticut, Virginia, Western Washington and Canada. How could I not write and write? Now I’m going to count up all the trees and think about all the wonderful stories – and maybe write about some of them.

This also the time when I try to get lots of the tree-grams and laminated bookmarks ready for the spring planting season. And I mix up cookie dough for the tree-kibbles and get it into the freezer.

As my son Jack says, “Buck up, Mom, this is your job.” And he’s so right. And I love it so much.

Happy New Year to all! And I’ll be back real soon.

So, what’s with you, Nancy? Can’t you write? There’s so much stuffed into my head right now that I can’t get it out. There are some wonderful events still coming up during this last week of tree planting but there have already been so many this fall that I don’t know where to begin.

OK, let’s start with the last event of the season because I’ve already written about it. This wrap-up of the tree planting season is the dedication of the “VICTORY” tree for Grace Flott. This beautiful, really tall Accolade Elm was planted last Friday, but on Sunday the 13th at 1:30 all the people who wrote tree-grams that were hung in her father’s tree while she was hospitalized in Paris and all the people who contributed to her bike and all the people who wish her family well are invited to the tree ceremony. Grace is going to ride her bike up to the tree. Wow!

Watching Grace and her sister Emma and her parents shovel dirt around that tree brought me so much joy. This young woman is going to have a great life!

As I get ready to close my suitcase for my three week trip East I think about the great weekend I’ve just had. It started Thursday with a tree walk and the crowning of another neighborhood tree of the year. Then on Friday the great group from New Zealand planted their tree in Friendship Park. Because the quote on the bookmark is from a letter Susie wrote me from there I brought it for them to read. One man knows where she was when she wrote it and will send me picture when he gets home. Wow!

Then we put in the tree for Spokefest and Miles hid the rake under the mulch so it would be ready for the dedication on Sunday.

Saturday was a day in the heat at a block party. I set up my “What’s the Susie Forest?” table and talked to candidates and neighbors about trees (and ate lots of ice cream). I was able to thank Mayor Mary Verner for the tree she is going to plant in Japan.

Another hot on day yesterday at Spokefeat as I tried to lure the little riders to get off their bikes and climb up the hill to shovel some mulch and write or draw on tree-grams. We had a few enthusiastic kids and they worked hard for their tree-kibbles. Afterward I did make more connections for next year where there will be more exposure and more participation.

And now I leave for Connecticut, Washington DC, and Virginia knowing I’ll be planting four trees. But there is the chance that there may be as many as eight. My suitcase is stuffed just in case.