Today I’m relaxing at my friend Ruth’s house, waiting for the start of my tree year. Tomorrow is the Methow Conservancy auction which will have a Susie Forest tree in it. And then a tree planting on Friday.

I brought four painted stones to put by trees, one to be put by the newly planted tree for Steven Michael, and two for his brothers’ trees that are already in Bradley Lake Park, and one for Becky to put by the tree she planted at her house for Susie. Then I realized that Becky and I were going to have lunch on Saturday with Gael, one of Susie’s best friends. She and her husband planted a tree for Susie in their yard in Lakewood.

OK, she should have a stone, too. Since all the stones and rocks I want to use must come from Susie Forest tree plantings, what am I going to do? Ruth and her daughter Heather planted four Susie trees at their old house in Bothel and plan to plant more trees here at the new house in Shoreline. Ruth and I went out to the front lawn which is covered with piles of dirt and rock waiting for spring and the new landscaping plan; I started hunting for an appropriate stone. I found one and Ruth said, “That’s about where one of the trees will be planted.” So it’s a legal Susie tree planting site and that makes it a legal stone. Tonight I will paint it.

Tomorrow the joy of the Susie Forest begins!