by Douglas Dunn

Created on: May 31, 2008

The weather was absolutely gorgeous the other day so my wife and I took our kayaks to the local lake to enjoy the evening sunset after many days of pouring rain. It was a great feeling to be slicing through the water once again and seeing the abundance of nature all around us. There were all the usual birds - egrets, herons, as well as fish jumping and turtles swimming about. On the way back to the truck we veered off into a little cove that was surrounded by trees and grasses. One tree just stood out and brought back a flood of memories. It was a big mimosa tree with its long graceful limbs full of pink and white flowers arching out over the water. It was like I was transported back in time 40 years to a simpler time where all the cares and worries were non existent. I'm sure the psychologists have a name for this phenomenon where a particular item brings back memories, or when your brain recalls memories like they were yesterday. I don't know what they call it but I call it refreshing and rejuvenating. Let me tell you the story of a young boy and his Grandma.

When I was a very young lad, my parents would visit their parents at least once a month down at the lake which was about 2 hours away. It was always fun to get out of the city and visit them. It was a fun place for a little boy to run about and explore. After all, they had a lake for a backyard, as well as woods, a big garden and a little dump down the road from them. Sometimes the "men" would go out to do some serious fishing and I would be left behind with the women folk. My Dad and Grandpa took me out with them quite often but every once in awhile I would be left behind so they could fish without having to baby-sit a little boy. Well, my Grandmother knew I didn't like sitting around the house and she would take me fishing. She knew this secret little spot where you could always catch fish. She also knew the secret bait to catch them with. We didn't use just your ordinary night crawler worm. She had a special tree down by the water that grew these special yellow and black worms. It is known as a catalpa tree and I guess it likes to host worms that chew on its leaves. Grandma called them catalpa worms. All I knew is they caught fish. The secret spot seemed like it was out in the big water but in reality it was just 3 or 4 lots down the cove from their lot. There was a big mimosa tree with long graceful limbs full of pink and white flowers arching out over the water. Yes, just like the one my wife and I saw while kayaking. Grandma would paddle the boat to just the right spot barely under the limbs and gently let down the anchor. She would bait the hook and we would sit there and catch the biggest fish you ever saw. Of course a big fish to a little boy is just a little perch to a grown person. We would catch dozens of the little fish while sitting under that mimosa tree with the boat gently rocking with the small waves. From that shady spot I could see the big water where the men would go and catch the really big fish. It was a simple time with not a care in the world. My innocence of childhood protected me from the worries and concerns that I'm sure my Grandma had at the time.
To this day, whenever I am near a lake and see a mimosa tree arching out over the water, I think back to those wonderful times spent with my Grandma and it feels like yesterday. Ah, those great mimosa memories.

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