This is my mimosa tree, seen from the front of my house. They are not overly common to this area, but not exactly rare either. I know that mimosas are basically considered a weed tree, but I have always loved them. I remember driving to see my grandparents shortly after school was out and seeing them dot the southern landscape, heavy with salmon-pink blooms. But what I really treasure are the memories of playing in the two that were on the edge of my grandparents' property. My siblings and I (and sometimes visiting cousins) would get my grandfather to take a step ladder down there so we could get up into the branches. We spent hours in those trees; I don't remember what we were doing and it doesn't matter. We just had a good time there and I have priceless memories.
When I was in the process of buying my house I had the opportunity to visit with the older widow lady who was selling the house. I felt a connection to her and to this house when she told me that she had grown up on the Mississippi/Tennessee border. I'm sure that the mimosa tree planted in the backyard was a result of her upbringing.
I need to cut the tree down; it is being crowded out by the larger oak tree and is also really too close to the house. But I can't do it since it reminds me of childhood visits to a place I loved. And did I mention how fragrant the blooms are?
I, too, love Mimosa trees, Beth. I featured one on my blog a while back, and their blooms are spectacular up close.
ReplyDeleteI have a fondness for sycamore trees for the same reason you feel the way you do about mimosas. We spent many happy hours playing in an old sycamore in our yard when I was little. I wonder if children even climb trees these days?