McGEE, ME AND A TREE

             When I arose very early in the morning, to take McGee, our little puppy out for his constitutional, the stars, glittering like diamonds, appeared to be strewn across the black velvet sky by a careless jewel thief. As I stood in the crisp air, the pup sniffing around the snow covered yard to deposit his little treasure in just the right place, I heard the trees in the nearby forest whispering; a language only they can understand. A slight breeze stealthily crept up my legs, which felt like the cold hands of death on the prowl and I shivered in anticipation; not afraid, but worrisome just the same. McGee had no sooner finished his business, when the sharp yip of a coyote in the distance froze him in his tracks, and then, we both hurried to the house, each of us looking over our shoulders for different reasons.
           The next time McGee went outside so he could relieve himself, dawn was breaking. The ridge of naked trees glowing pink against the clear azure sky looked beautiful. However, as I stood, my back against the cold breeze blowing out of the northwest, I realized that just beyond the hilltop, a short distance away, enormous patches of clear-cut forests abounded and it brought a silent tear to my eye. I find it strange that so many people comment on how much they love Nature and yet as the trees disappear around them, the rivers, streams and lakes poisoned, not to mention all the wild creatures dying, very few take a stand. Only when Mr. Ugly turns up on their doorstep do they cry out, protest, but not for the right reasons, it's mainly because the values of their properties drop. 
         I admit it, I have hugged trees and whether or not they enjoyed it, I have no idea. But to think that trees don't have any intelligence is a shortcoming on our part because if you look closely at a group of trees growing very close to one another, you'll often notice that the trunks and limbs twist and bend so they seldom touch their neighbours as they reach towards the light. One winter, when I was a young man, I was a logger of sorts. Because of my small stature and slight weight, I worked on the landing chopping off any remaining limbs and measured the trees for the guy who bucked them into designated lengths, which were then loaded onto a logging truck and driven away. As I look back to that early time in my life, unlike now, when that patch of allotted land had been logged, it may no longer have been pristine, but you barely noticed the missing trees.
       But hey, besides hugging a few trees, I've also held a sign and protested because trees to me have more meaning than the dollar signs that are attached to their trunks. But don't get me wrong, I don't have a quarrel concerning logging, I wouldn't be here without trees. They've kept me clothed, and being an artist, supplied me with paper and their heat has not only warmed my body but my heart as well. However, nowadays, because of technology, there are more sustainable methods available to produce our needs but because of greed, deliberate ignorance and stupidity, lands the world over are being stripped bare. My heart goes out to the courageous caretakers of the Earth, who unarmed, put their bodies on the line of fire. Yeah, trees are important to me and to McGee as well, because soon he'll be able to lift his leg and pee on them...cheers, eh!