The Star in the Cottonwood

Chateau de Mores

I have always loved trees and leaves...

While on our Montana trip this summer I heard a very interesting story about the Star in the Cottonwood.

We were visiting the Chateau de Mores in Medora, North Dakota. It was built by the Marquis de Mores for his wife and family in 1883 so he could pursue his ranching and cattle shipping enterprises. The existing community of Medora is named after his wife.

The house museum contains furniture and artifacts belonging to the family and their servants. It is operated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Several well informed guides walk you through the house and tell the story of both the family and the times.

Because I can't climb stairs very well, I was offered a seat downstairs to wait for my group to tour the upstairs. In front of me was a video screen with views of the rooms upstairs along with detailed descriptions. But best of all, the guide who stayed with me pointed out the "touch and learn" table at which I was seated! This was the one spot in the house where you were invited to touch and hold artifacts and items and I had an informed personal guide all to myself!

My eye was immediately drawn to a collection of cut branches. On closer examination, I noticed there was a small star in the center of each one! I asked the guide about it and heard a shortened story of the Native American legend regarding this little star. Back home, after a bit more research on the subject, I share with you the story of:

The Star in the Cottonwood.

Star in cut branch

There is a traditional Lakotah Native American story about how the stars in the night sky came from Mother Earth breathing wind into the Cottonwood tree. The stars all flew from the branches of the Cottonwood and took up their heavenly abode. But one curious little star came back to hide in a Cottonwood tree so it could always be near the people on earth and listen to their beautiful music, their laughter, and the kind words they say to one another.

Inside each cottonwood branch is indeed a little star. If you cut a 3/4" branch from a Cottonwood tree with a saw, you will find a little star in the center of that branch. Also, if you snap a cottonwood tree twig right on the growth lines, you can find a star hiding inside. You won’t see the star in every branch; if the twig is too green or too old, it won’t appear.

Heart-shaped Cottonwood leaves

The Cottonwood was known as "waga chan, the rustling tree." Any breeze at all makes the heart-shaped leaves twist and turn on their stem creating a glimmering effect and a rustling sound. These Cottonwoods provided them with large logs for their dugout canoes. The trees offered places to hunt and fish for food. The young branches and tender bark provided feed for the horses and medicine for the people. The large branches from the Cottonwoods were used for fires that kept them warm and cooked their food. Long slender poles of the Cottonwood were used to construct their shelters. Musical notes could be produced by cupping the leaves in the hand, amusing young and old alike. The Cottonwood was integral to all parts of their daily lives.

Lakota Warriors Gather

Cottonwood trees have many sacred associations with the Lakota, the most interesting being their use in the Sun Dance ceremony. The Cottonwood sticks were used to pierce a warrior's skin and muscles in the Sun Dance ceremony. The Cottonwood was chosen because of the five-pointed star in cross-section. In effect, they contain a sign from the star nations inside it…. The Cottonwood tree honored for use in the ceremony had to be tall, straight, and slender, with a small fork near the top. After the tree was selected and cut down it was to remain untouched by human hands until it was blessed for ceremonial use by the Medicine Man, for it was sacred.

We also met a Native American named "Max" at the Glendive RV Camp where we stayed. He was a remarkably spiritual man who has amassed an amazing collection of artifacts from battlegrounds and encampments in and around Little Big Horn, Spring Creek Battle areas and Glendive. He also has showcased several items from his own family heritage. Pieces of Cottonwood used in both his own and his grandfather's Sun Dance Ceremony were displayed in his collection. Knowing a little more about the Star in the Cottonwood made that display even more intriguing!


Cottonwood seeds

Female Cottonwoods (cottonwoods are either male or female) produce fluffy white seeds during the early summer that are quickly dispersed by the wind. To find the tree in the summer that is blowing “cotton” all through the air awakes the child in you. It is easy to envision stars flying up into the sky! It’s amazing to think that these tiny, light seeds will grow into one of North America’s largest trees. During their 100 to 200 year growing period, Cottonwoods can grow up to 190-feet high and develop massive trunks over 5-feet in diameter. They generally grow very close to water, a fact that was used by pioneers and explorers to locate water as they crossed the plains.


Cottonwoods along river bank

Cottonwoods in the Fall

The Cottonwood trees change into beautiful colors in the Fall, turning pockets of the landscape many blazing points of red, orange and gold!

Wonderful stories hidden within one of nature's miracles; a simple, simply amazing Cottonwood tree!

(c) CHRobinson 2010

In Memory of Mom's Birthday

Just a quick note in memory of Mom...



This Wednesday would have been Esther's 88th birthday! She never liked anyone to make a fuss about the day, so this will be short.

She was a strong woman who raised seven wonderful, responsible men. This picture was taken the summer before she passed. She had been in the hospital and came to our house for a few weeks to recover. After this we got her settled in a retirement home, but she HATED it! She lived life just the way she wanted and insisted on going home, where she lived 'til the very last days on her own.

Esther visiting with two of her sons, Byron (l) and Bob (rt)

We think of her often and miss her a lot! Happy Birthday, Mom! We send our love!

(c) CH Robinson 8/2010

Through the Eyes of a Child

This Sunday, July 4th, will be my older daughter Tammy's birthday. To honor that, I would like to share this story of one of the important life lessons I learned from her:

It was a hot summer day and we were setting out to get our chores done. This included shopping; never my favorite task with a toddler who would rather be off playing. A normal hurried mom just getting through the day...

As I got Tammy out of the truck, I looked down and thought, "Oh gross! That sidewalk is pretty nasty! Someone needs to get out here with the steam cleaner. Don't they know how bad it looks?"
Gum and grease and spilled food and heaven knows what else?

Tammy started skipping off down the sidewalk, then stopped and was staring down. I thought she was seeing the same disgusting mess I saw...

But only through a child's eye - the vision was completely different! She exclaimed, "Oh mommy! Look how pretty!"

PRETTY?!?!

What in the world was she talking about? Certainly not this sidewalk! All I could see was the yuck and crud!

"Oh mommy, don't you think it looks like diamonds?"

DIAMONDS?!?!

But then I looked again. The sun was striking the pavement just right and all the little granite and mineral chips WERE shining bright! It did indeed look like diamonds sparkling in the afternoon!

I was reminded to stop and take a minute to look at the world through her eyes.

So full of trust and innocence that she saw only the beauty. No hurried tasks to accomplish. No "To Do" lists to check off. Just seeing all the wonders of God's world.

I think I appreciate this even more as a grandmother.

May I remember to step back and appreciate the blessings each day brings.

And may I try to see things -

Through the Eyes of a Child

Amen

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter who is a great mom to her own two girls! And by being her mom, I thank her, and the Lord for the life lessons...

People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Luke 18:15-17

(c) CHRobinson June 2010

Knothole in the Family Tree

Here is some interesting family history, a bit on the shady side...I've waited what I hope has been a respectful amount of time since Esther's passing to continue the story of her mother, Mary.

After Esther had been born, Mary left her infant in the care of her in-laws, got a divorce and hit the road with some questionable characters.
Hey, the divorce alone was scandalous enough in the day!


One of those questionable characters was Eber "Sid" Siddons. I must say, I'm not certain if this is fact or fable; but it has been reported from reliable sources and family tales that he ran a very profitable bootleg whiskey operation!

To get his product into the little communities without too much trouble, two things were of utmost importance:
1) Know who the local authorities were and know their routines.

2) Have some really fast cars capable of transporting the whiskey!

Now Mary was a very attractive young lady! She was sent into the town first to find a "camp." Motorcourts would have been perfect. These were small roadside bungalows with parking right alongside.

She would then get acquainted with the police and spend enough time to get them talking. It was never said right out loud, but it was implied that she would use her "feminine wiles" ...

Then Sid and his fellows could come in with the merchandise he was bootlegging.

Seems he made enough money from this setup he purchased a car dealership and made an honest woman of Mary. They married and brought Esther with them to the Rapid City area. Mary got to live with all the extras she loved and have her daughter with her, too!

So goes this branch of the family tree...a few twists and knotholes. Interesting, to say the least!

Here is a picture we took last summer of the garage he owned in Belle Fourche, SD.

(c) CHRobinson June 2010

Before You Set Off to Happy CamperLand

So it's that time of year again when we feel the call of the open road. New places to see and exciting adventures just waiting for us! But before you lay in the supplies, wash the dogs and pack up the kids you may want to read this precautionary tale.
The story you're about to read is mostly true, the names have been changed to protect the guilty, er, innocent.


The trailer was all ready to go. Man and Wife set out to visit the Big Sky Country along with LittleBits, their young granddaughter.
Now every trip some things never change! Maybe it's the fact that three people have been confined together in close quarters. Maybe it's just the humor of our Maker showing us He really did make us out of two opposite molds. Try as she may to ignore the little differences between BoyBrain and WomanThink, Wife soon becomes exasperated with Man and things threaten to disturb all in Happy CamperLand! And it all boils down to directions! Or lack thereof -

You see, Man will sit and study maps of tomorrow's territory every evening. He then is SURE all has been stored in the wonderful male memory bank. Heaven forbid he should write down simple instructions (such as I90N to 94E, or any such things) because he KNOWS where we're headed!

Man forgets that the physical anatomy he possesses does not mean he has built-in GPS. Any special powers he may be endowed with does NOT equate to anything resembling MapQuest!

Any gentle suggestions from the Wife are treated with great scorn (remember Man KNOWS where we're going) and he never stops when he's sure he's right!

Another strange characteristic of Man is he plans point A, to point B, to point C, on to point D. If there is a deviation from that, BoyBrain says, "Must backtrack to B, resume on to C so we can get to D."
If Wife suggests that perhaps you could try point B1, to alternative point C (look here on the map sweetie?) and we WILL get to point D - Man scoffs at such foolishness! Of course, that could be a source of malcontent so Wife just smiles brightly and goes for the ride
Another favorite is when approaching a diversion in the road ahead at 70+ miles per hour, Man will shout, "Which way are we supposed to go? Can you find it on the map?"
I don't really know, sweetie, thought you had all that stored in the memory banks...




I must say this system sometimes does have unknown surprises, such as the diversion to Little Bighorn on this trip. We sort of stumbled on it while trying to find our way back to the main highway. You know, the one we missed because Man was SURE we needed to continue west...
Would love to spent lots more time there! So much history you can reach out and touch!

So the three vagabonds spend the morning on this historic land; reading the landmarks, visiting the museum, hearing the docents tales and trying to take in how awful it must have been for all those involved. Truly a thought provoking and awe-inspiring diversion!

Unfortunately, Wife became overheated in the bright sunshine and 98*, so it is important to get back to the camper parked at the Visitor Center and get cooled down. Heat brings on MS symptoms that are not always pleasant.

Wife understood the plan was to have a potty break in camper, then return to the truck and move out of parking space for other visitors. We would then go on down the road to find a nice lunch spot. Oh difference between BoyBrain and WomanThink...trouble is brewing!

______________________________________________________________

While Wife is having MS chesthug symptoms and (really) can't breathe fully, she attempts the camper potty. Not to give TMI, but this is a low stool and one must "lunge" from squatting position, grab side of shower and pull up.

While in this lunge position, Man has returned to the truck and released the clutch! Wife is totally unprepared for such a move and she is thrown headfirst off the stool!

While it can seem funny now, she found NO humor sprawled on the potty floor struggling to breathe, with pants and panties tangled around the ankles... Ok - you're right, TMI!
Can you see that things are getting a bit unhappy in CamperLand?

Wife had noticed that LittleBits had turned rather pouty baby on the field trip. Seems homesickness must have caught up with her. LittleBits says that there were grasshoppers everywhere (gasp!) They scared her so much she wasn't taking anymore pictures and hated this place! Tears and angry words - oh my!

Wife (otherwise also known as Grammy) is NOT in happy mood over all the current happenin's. She and LittleBits had their first and last power struggle of the entire trip! Wife is more than a little grumpy and LittleBits is pretty sure she knows where her own mama gets it...

After it was explained that chesthugs are sorta like when LittleBits has a bad asthma attack, tears and hugs were exchanged and all was calm again.

Things turned out fine! Wife cooled off, LittleBits settled down and a nice lunchspot was found. LittleBits made lunch for all of them as a perfect peace offering.

And Man and Wife had a serious discussion about map skills and directions. The rest of the trip went a lot smoother and things in CamperLand were happy once again!

So does Wife think it will hold for future trips - um, can she get back to you on that?

Anyway, good traveling and great adventures to all ready to hit that road! Have a great time!


(c) CHRobinson May 2010

Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad In It

We are told that each new day is a gift from God, that's why it's called "The Present". But I wonder if we sometimes are expecting such really great things of it that we fail to recognize the true gift we have received...we don't savour its simple sweetness.


I remember a trip we took a few years back with our little 3 year-old nephew.

It was a long-planned vacation to the Biltmore Inn in Ashville, NC. We had traveled most of the day and arrived in the early evening. While we were checking in, one of the clerks asked if it was okay to give Little One a mint. His mama said, "Yes."

Now, I want to tell you that mint looked way better than this one. It was in the most beautiful gold and green foil package and nearly filled Little one's Hand! He was so excited! "Mama, can I eat it now?" You could see in his eyes that this was going to be really good!

"No, sweetie," she replied, "we have dinner plans. Put it in daddy's pocket and we'll have it after we eat." Little One was disappointed, but did as he was told. After the long day of traveling Little One fell asleep as soon as his tummy was full. First missed chance...





The next morning we all met at breakfast. Little One was dancing around and wondered where his special candy was. Daddy assured him it was still in his pocket, but now we had to eat our breakfast. Dang! Another postponement!



We had a full day planned with tours through the mansion, special lectures and such. Little One's occasional pleas for his special treat were all turned down. When, oh when would he be able to tear into what he was sure must be the bestest candy in the whole world?!?
He was finally given permission to have his mint late in the afternoon. Little One's eyes opened wide as daddy removed it from his pocket and placed it in Little One's hands. Oh, this was going to be so-o-o good!

He struggled to open the foil and popped it in his mouth...
and then just as quickly spit it out! The mint was one of those airy, spearmint melt-in-your-mouth balls. NOT what Little One had anticipated!

He was disappointed in the mint because it hadn't met with his expectations. He couldn't enjoy the sweetness of it because it was so much different than he had imagined it was going to be.

We all burst into laughter at his surprise and shock. But it got me to thinking -







Maybe we anticipate what will be the extra, the special; instead of taking time to just enjoy the simple sweets we have been gifted. There are God-moments in each and every day! We just have to relax and let them happen. We have to be open to looking with the heart and eyes of Christ. And then, of course, we have to give Him thanks!

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Psalm 118:24

(c)CHRobinson May 2010

Soaring to a New Life

This morning my friend, Ms Annette talked about watching in awe as a bald eagle rode the thermals over her pasture! What a magnificent gift from our Maker! I was reminded of a time a few years ago when God sent a beautiful message of peace and healing in the form of an eagle.


My younger daughter had returned home at a very difficult time in her life. A relationship that had began in love and trust had ended in pain and shattered dreams. She hadn't shared all the details of the breakup, but I knew that both her heart and her spirit were broken. I thought time away would help, so I invited her on a trip with me to Georgia.


Our first day's plan was a visit to Stone Mountain. We rode the tram to the top, then took a short walk closer to the edge and found a rocky shelf under a tree to sit. There was an awesome view and the wind blew up from the valley below. An eagle flew in and perched on a branch of the tree over our heads. He soared out over the valley, rising and falling with the winds and then returned to a branch of that tree above our heads. Again and again he would fly off surveying the prospects below him. Every time he returned to the tree he would cock his head to the side and stare at us intently. It was like he had a message for us!


In the quiet beauty we started talking. She told me of the hurts and betrayals and bad decisions. She said that things had started spiraling out of control - until the only thing to do was let go and walk away before it all destroyed her! She knew it was the right decision, but felt like returning home was some sort of failure of her part. She had left to make an adult life and it hadn't worked out like she had hoped. My heart ached for her!

The eagle continued to soar out over the valley and return to his branch. What power and majesty! With that intent stare, it occurred to me that he did have a message for us! Flying out on the waves of the wind to see what possibilities lay before him, he still needed to return to the safety of the branch to regain strength and fly again. Just like my courageous daughter! Riding the winds of life up and down, but always having a safe branch to return to - home. That is part of His magnificent plan! Soar out on wings of love and trust and remember there is always safe haven in our family nest. We all need a place to rest and regain our strength before we can fly out again!



As her birthday approaches again this weekend, I am thankful that God made us a family! I'm thankful we are so blessed to be strength, rest and peace for one another. I'm thankful we share His love! And I am so proud of the life she has made and lived in the years since returning to the nest before soaring out on her own again!



Happy Birthday, Cristine! And thank you, Lord, for messages sent on eagle's wings!

"And He will raise you up
On eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath on dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand"

Psalm 91

.
(c) CHRobinson May 2010