Old Sam remembered hearing about a portion of the Hebrew Midrash from passerbys which stated that when God created the first man, he took him and showed him all the trees in the garden of Eden and said to him “see my works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. I created it for you. Be careful not to destroy my world. There will be no one to repair it.“.It was trees that were chosen to symbolise the natural world, not flowers or any other plant. Old Sam also learned that through the years scholars had continually reinforced the philosophy that it was not the way of a wise man to destroy something so worthy as a tree. It should always be protected. Amazing, isn't it, Old Sam thought, what even a tree could learn if it kept its ears, e-r-r, its leaves open! Unfortunately, Old Sam also learned that logic and good sense were no match for man’s interpretation of progress or the prospect of riches.
As summer turned to fall in 1980, Old Sam sensed a change about to take place. The families were spending less and less time at the houses and had done little to prepare the properties for the coming winter. He was right. In November 1980, a new family moved in, and the house became alive not only with young children, but cats and dogs as well. Experience had taught him to be hesitant, but Old Sam’s optimism about finally having a family that cared about the environment began to rekindle.
He remained sceptical about the potential of a new and positive beginning, but couldn’t help being pleased when the new family began to rake and mulch the fallen leaves and spread them over the few flower beds that survived. That winter, as dormancy approached, he looked forward to the coming spring for the first time in many years. This time his optimism was not misplaced.
When spring finally arrived, the new family, including the children, cleared the remaining leaves and broken branches and built a low fence to separate the parking area and lawn from the road. They dug a trench and planted cedar bushes – dozens of them – along the inside of the fence and planted flowers – mostly day lilies at the front and back of the house and around the base of Sam’s trunk. For the first time in many years, birds returned and built nests in the bushes, and on many of Old Sam’s branches.
That wasn’t all. More trees, mainly spruce, were brought in and transplanted at the back of the house. Cedars were also planted there, and a drainage ditch was dug to drain a swampy area.
One day, Old Sam saw the taller human walking around the property examining every area. He was confident, or at least as close to it as he could be, that consistent with what he had learned from the ‘elders’, this was someone who believed in animism, the belief that individual spirits inhabit plants, animals, and even rocks and mountains. That plants have a vitality and existence, and that humans can have a relationship with them that goes beyond simply watering and feeding.
