I sat in a tree today. I climbed just high enough that I was nervous but not afraid. The branch was thick and sturdy but still made me sore from sitting there for so long. Above me was a hornet nest, or maybe it was wasps. I never learned to tell the difference. Either way they were a bit angry about my presence at first and buzzed loudly for several minutes before deciding I wasn’t a threat. I’m glad they didn’t swarm me and cover me in stings.

I sat in a tree today. I climbed up because I saw a bird nest and wanted a closer view. I stayed far enough away that the parent birds kept coming to care for their two chicks. I don’t know how old the chicks were, but they had downy feathers covering their bodies and their hungry chirping was loud whenever either parent returned. I don’t know what kind of birds they are. I thought they might be robins at first but when I got close enough to see, they didn’t have the right markings. White and brown instead of red on their chest. I also tried to learn their whistle but they kept changing it. Maybe they’re the kind of bird who doesn’t have a standard whistle.

I sat in a tree today. It’s been in my backyard for as long as I can remember and yet I never climbed it before today. It was a sapling when I first moved in, barely taller than my parents. Now it looms over the yard, casting much of it into shade. I worry it’ll someday fall onto the house, though the wind usually blows the other way. Perhaps I worry too much. Sitting in the tree is helping me let go of some of those worries now that I can see and feel how strong the tree really is. I wonder if the guy who wrote “Rock-A-Bye Baby” was in a tree when he came up with the idea for that song.

I sat in a tree today. I could see down into my neighbor’s yard. Normally the fence between us blocks the line of sight. They’ve got a few fruit trees and chickens in their yard. Their youngest daughter came out and threw bird seed out. I expected the chickens to rush over but instead a murder of crows came down and began eating it. The child laughed and patted each bird on the head, calling them by names she’d apparently given them. I’ve seen the crows about before but had no idea they were coming here for her.

I sat in a tree today. It smells of sap and nuts. Only now do I realize I have no idea what kind of tree this is. It’s not a pine tree, obviously, but besides that I know practically nothing about it. The leaves are broad and pointed. Maybe it’s a maple? That’s the only broad leafed tree I know. It could be an oak or an elm for all I know. It doesn’t produce any fruit or nuts or pods or anything like that. It doesn’t really matter. All it drops are leaves in the fall and I enjoy raking them up into a pile and then jumping into it. I don’t care that I end up having to rake the same leaves up over and over again, it’s one of the simple pleasures in life that autumn brings.

I sat in a tree today. On my way up I cut my thumb on a sharp edge of the bark. It’s not a deep cut and hardly bled at all. I sucked on it for a few minutes after I reached my perch. The metallic taste of blood has always been strange to me. Stories of vampires come to mind but I’m not really into those, especially not the ones in modern pop-culture. Vampires should be monsters, not tragic and alluring. I guess Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” was a bit of both tragic and alluring, but he was still a monster. Nowadays it seems we’re supposed to fall in love with the vampires. Gross. I miss the unambiguity of the older stories.

I sat in a tree today. The other neighbor’s dog took issue with me being up so high and barked for a good ten minutes before the neighbor came out and shouted him into silence. After that the dog kept an eye on me and paced nervously along the fence line. It surprised me because I don’t think I’ve ever heard their dog bark before. I don’t think the neighbor saw me up in the tree when they came out so I expect they were quite surprised and confused by the outburst. Why the dog is so bothered that I’m up here is anyone’s guess. I’m not very near to the property line so I doubt the dog feels threatened by me.

I sat in a tree today. The cemetery is just in view from up here and I watched a funeral. Not a very large turnout but it seemed the people there cared for the deceased. They lingered beside the grave for quite a while, while the dirt truck waited a few rows over, ready to fill in the grave. There were no children at the funeral, which I thought was odd. Maybe they didn’t want any kids there and had left them behind. Maybe there just weren’t any kids in the family. It makes me wonder what sort of turnout I’ll have at my funeral when that day comes.

I sat in a tree today. I watched a spider hunt and eat a caterpillar. I don’t like anything with more than four limbs and shuddered at the sight. I wanted to look away but a morbid fascination gripped me for the whole affair. When it was done I smashed the spider. I felt guilty afterwards for doing that. We’re outside, where they belong, and the spider was just doing what it does. It can’t help being a spider. How would I feel if some alien came along and killed me just because I looked scary to it?

I sat in a tree today. It was the last day I’d live here. I’m moving out tomorrow to a house without a tree. I knew this was my last chance if ever I was going to take it. I’m going to miss this tree. Part of me regrets not climbing up here sooner but I think this will be more memorable. I carved my initials into the trunk up here and wonder if anyone else will ever climb up here and see it. I’ll never know. I wait until the sun has set before I climb back down. The chill evening air make’s my hands tight and I almost slip.

I sat in a tree today.