a memory

I’ve been keeping up with a new year’s goal to use our treadmill. To be exact - to walk at least 30 minutes more than I have walked already, 5 days a week. I’m doing OK but this post is not about my exercise regimen, but about a book I see every time I get on the treadmill, The Man Who Planted Trees a story by Jean Giono.

Back in the early ‘90s, PBS broadcast the program “Long Ago and Far Away”. It is a series of animated stories – all different kinds of stories, animated by different artists. This is one of the best children series I have ever seen. James Earl Jones hosts the program. We taped the episodes and viewed them over and over again. As I said, the stories are varied - most I had never heard of before. But some of them became favorites. The Man Who Planted Trees is one such story. Well, it ended up one of my favorites, so I bought the book.

The story is of Elzeard Bouffier, a man who has lived through sorrow and world wars, but travels a barren treeless country side and plants trees. Over years of planting, the barren country side comes back to life.

I was pregnant when I first saw this story. I was so moved by the tale I contemplated naming our baby Linden. [pregnancy does strange things to us - lucky for Evan I came to my senses] . The story is so well told, I was convinced it true – but alas - it is fiction. I still want to believe it is true though…

It’s funny how things affect us.

Happy memories.

Another favorite I just found online -
Rarg - one of the scientists of Rarg discovers that he and his people are a dream thus they pursue a plan to keep the dreamer asleep watch it here
It is totally zany but so fun. We loved it.
“Flick the switch…flick the switch…”