Cottonwood Trees, and my PTI Inspiration

Cottonwood trees grow in abundance in Michigan. It's not as though anyone sets out to plant a cottonwood tree, but nature seems to do a good job of planting these trees in the woods and parks. They are aptly named for their blossoming pods that burst in the summer and blow cottony fibers everywhere. The cotton coats your window screens and clogs the sidewalks and pathways with clumpy white mounds. They are a messy tree, and one of the first to drop their leaves in the autumn.

And even with all of those negatives, I still love them.

This tree, more than any other, reminds me of home. The smell of damp cottonwood leaves triggers such a response in the memory portions of my brain that it instantly makes me wistful. I am reminded of the woods surrounding my childhood home, and long walks in state parks with my boys when they were little. It also reminds me of our old dog, Maggie, who loved running through the cottonwood leaves of her favorite park.

When the wind blows, the big waxy leaves of the cottonwood tree slap each other and make a symphony of noise that sounds like waves on the lake.

We took Jemma out walking in the neighborhood park last night, and the cottonwood leaves and wildflowers were beginning to show signs of autumn.

The smell of wet leaves used to make me melancholy and homesick. But now, at last, I am home! I can enjoy all the things I love about home, and for this I am so grateful. I made this card today, using the PTI stamp set Leave It Be to make the cottonwood leaves. The sentiment says it all.

I made a few bittersweet berries on the garland by attaching some enamel dots along the garland frame's edge.

{Today's Brew: Leave It Be stamp set (PTI), Year of Psalms stamps (PTI), garland die (PTI), PTI inks and card stock, button twine, enamel dots}

Hope you are filled with joy today, too!