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Catalpa Hometree

June 4, 2019 by Jim Potter 21 Comments

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· Reverence ·

Kansas Authors Club, District 6 sign
Our majestic catalpa tree with her blossoming flowers.

On Saturday we celebrated our catalpa trees and all catalpa trees. We celebrated sacredness of nature and our environment.

We invited members of the Kansas Authors Club, District 6, to our Shangri-La where we are empowered and connected to creativity. In literature, Shagri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British Author James Hilton. In his fictional land it is a place of peace and perpetual youth.

For our celebration, we created a festive event comparable to Japanese cherry blossom festivals which are celebrated in the spring. Also known as hanami in Japanese, it’s a term that means picnics beneath the cherry trees.

A week before our Catalpa Flowering Friendship Day our road was seriously flooded.

Like Shangri-La, our gathering was held in a place cut off from the world. And had the event been scheduled a week earlier, no one would have attended because our private dirt road was flooded by recent heavy rains. The flow of water traveling northeast rediscovered its natural path as it spread its banks, racing to the Little Arkansas River, transforming our road to an active, even dangerous, creek bed.

A catalpa tree leaf is heart-shaped. Sometimes people refer to them as umbrella leaves.

Our invitation-only event was held beneath, around, and in catalpa trees. We called it “Catalpa Flowering Friendship Day.” And thankfully, we appreciated that our Hometree, our Mothertree, was blossoming in her awe-inspiring beauty, including a perfume-like fragrance impossible to manufacture and sell.

As people arrived, in my excitement, I took them to the best locations to observe the catalpas. Was the kitchen window the best spot? Or was it from our bedroom window? No, Alex’s upstairs studio deck was the closest with a panoramic view of our place in the country we call Sandhenge.

Later, a few attendees explored our five acres of paradise, including a close-up view of the pond, paths, flowers, and trees.

The long slender seed pods are often called bean pods.

People shared their encounters of meeting their first catalpa. Alex Potter remembered her days as a child experiencing the hot, humid summers while growing up near Manassas, Virginia. She reviewed her tree-climbing play time  when she avoided the sun, protected by the umbrella-like leaves. Alex also recalled the catalpa caterpillars that her mother used as fishing bait and the long, slender seed pods, which resembled beans, hanging from the blossoming tree.

Phil Wood wrote:

“What caught my attention about your open house was the Catalpa tree. One of my earliest memories is of a Catalpa tree and its flowering. I was living with my parents in an old farmhouse near an apple orchard on Keith Hill Road in Grafton, Massachusetts. I was, as close as I can estimate, about three years old. There was a driveway off the main road which led to a barn with a large red door. As you drove toward the barn the house was on the right side. On the left side was a large Catalpa tree. I was amazed when it produced lovely flowers and wondered where they came from. I decided it was just part of being the tree.”

This aerial walkway under a catalpa tree connects the house and art studio.

The first time I recall actually connecting the flowering tree with its name was when we moved to our current location near Medora, Kansas. At that time, people recalled how in the olden days the catalpa trees attracted so many flocks of crows that they were regularly used for target practice by gun enthusiasts.

However, the first time I really felt that another person, besides Alex, personally honored these magnificent, majestic trees and their space, was in 2010 after viewing Avatar, a visually stunning movie.

Kansas Authors Club, District 6 members having fun socializing.

In the movie, when Hometree was introduced to the viewers as holy to the natives of Pandora, I understood that James Cameron, the director, was calling us to reconnect with what is sacred and to decide what really matters.

Cameron’s call was for people to show reverence to our environment and to honor our space.

We invited our guests so that they too could listen to silence, the calls of nature, and the power of beauty.

Kansas Authors Club, District 6 members Karen Yoder (L) and Natalee Ganyon (R).

The catalpa trees at Sandhenge were magnificent in their majestic beauty with the sun highlighting the blossoming, aromatic flowers. As they shaded our house and studio, they shared their power, wisdom, and love.

“Catalpa Flowering Friendship Day” ended but the friendships, reverence for nature, and creative writing will continue.

Until next time, happy writing and reading!

The Kansas Authors Club http://www.kansasauthors.org is a statewide organization that encourages and supports great writing. It’s divided into seven districts. In Hutchinson, Reno County, (part of District 6) we have monthly meetings at Hutchinson Community College. http://www.hutchcc.edu You’re invited. Questions? Contact Jim Potter, jim@copintheclassroom.com

 

 

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Comments

  1. Alex says

    Mmmmm. Fantastic!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Thanks for your support!

      Reply
  2. Tracy says

    Wonderful! I hope to meet these Catalpa trees one day.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Can a person be personally invited in public? Come on down!

      Reply
      • Tracy says

        I’m looking for windows! I really am!

        Reply
  3. Ann Christine Fell says

    Great post, Jim. Thanks for renewing the sacredness of nature. Love catalpa trees and they are beautiful right now. We too should schedule a field trip to your Shangri-La.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Catalpa Tree Warning: I should caution city dwellers that the gorgeous country catalpa tree isn’t for everyone. Like people, there are times when the flowers have shed their beauty. If your yard is manicured to perfection, then a catalpa probably doesn’t match your yard-care personality. The flowers and seed pods eventually fall to the ground, making it look rough, and when the catalpa caterpillars get hungry they can strip a tree in a few weeks.

      Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Thanks for the reply! I just explained in another comment that there’s a big difference between viewing the beautiful, blossoming trees from a distance and having them grow in your yard. Yes, they get messy, but we accept that as the cycle of nature.

      Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Our invitation from last summer stands.

      Reply
  4. lewis and Dorothy says

    Lewis and Dorothy say happy writing and using our creative nature to give us pleasure of reading. Creativity is a dynamic process and it never ceases to amaze us how changing beauty can inspire us to live life with joy and thanksgiving. Carry on.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Thanks, Lewis and Dorothy.

      Reply
  5. H.B. Berlow says

    What an amazing event. It is like the salons of the past…only in a natural setting. I think it is great to have writers, artists, poets, etc. gather for not other purpose than to commune and validate the artistic choices we’ve made.
    Very proud of your efforts.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      H.B., thanks for your comment. It was nice. We weren’t gathered to listen to a guest speaker and we weren’t together to write.

      Reply
  6. Natalee says

    I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree ….. Joyce Kilmer’s famous poem on trees, expresses my sentiments as well! The catalpa trees are awesome. Thank you so much for the lovey afternoon escape.
    What a delightful time, and to enjoy the art gallery of your home, a special treat as well… we enjoyed the company and visits. Thank you for the blog!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Natalee, thanks!

      Reply
  7. Gretchen Eick says

    Catalpas lined the street where I grew up in Fairview Park, Cleveland, Ohio. The pods became licentious lady cigars for us and their innards the food for my dolls. Catalpas grow here in Bosnia, too, which when I first saw them made this place, too, home.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Gretchen, yes, when I recognize a catalpa tree while traveling, it’s like meeting an old friend. I can only smile. Jim

      Reply
  8. Tammy says

    This is a lovely example of some place based writing, Jim. Well done!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Tammy, thank you!

      Reply
  9. Phil says

    Thanks for the wonderful time with the beautiful trees and interesting people. Very kind of you to share your home.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      You’re welcome, Phil! Good times were had by all.

      Reply

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Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

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Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a… Read more “Larry Kruckman, anthropologist”

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Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental… Read more “Morgan Penner”

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Retired police officer Potter’s novel centers on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to… Read more “Sean McArdle, Winchester, England”

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I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller… Read more “Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist”

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Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

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I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters… Read more “John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement”

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I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

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Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

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Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

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