Hi Folks:

Okay, I know what you’re thinking…. after reading the title you’re thinking he’s finally taken that deep dive into the shallow end of the pool and cracked his head. Not (entirely) true. 🙂

First we need a little history:

Behind the beautiful woman in the white jacket is a tree. A western white pine if you want to get specific. The image on the left was made in 2010, and the top of the tree didn’t quite make it to the top of the fence. The image on the right was made ten years later. Our little tree has certainly grown up! This is our story tree, one we’ve fed stories and hugs for the past decade. When people come to share hugs with us they often share stories about themselves, about their homes, and about people and things that are important to them. We share all of that with our tree.

Because of the pandemic, our last Free Hugs session for 2020 was on March 1. We’re so looking forward to getting back out there, when it’s safe for everyone to do so. In the meantime, whenever we’re downtown we stop to pay a quick visit to our tree. Imagine our surprise the other day when we encountered (you guessed it):

This is the first time our tree has produced cones! We’re so excited!! Of course this does mean we’re going to have to have that awkward conversation about wind and cross-pollination, but that’s part of life.

Proud parents.

Wherever you are today, be safe, be well, and share hugs with those you can. Smiles and virtual hugs work over any distance!!

Hugs,
M&M