SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” in the search function above.

The Maple

On a brilliant Fall afternoon—

the kind that makes you swoon—

I went on a walk for fitness.

Ahem. Mind your business.

The leaves they had been falling,

and the memories came calling

to that big old maple.

It was an Autumn staple,

with leaves on the ground,

kids gathered around.

The piling, the hiding, the throwing,

all while we were growing.

The laughs and the giggles

really got out the wiggles.

The sound of the crunch

I still love it a bunch.

And that sweet earthy scent—

only one thing it meant.

At the end of the day

my mother would say,

“Time to get in the tub.

You’re in need of a scrub.”

And so you can see,

that majestic tree

became a small part of me.

.

Denise Pearl lives in Sammamish, is a retired preschool teacher, and started painting during the pandemic when she began a small art business, printing greeting cards from her original paintings, and has sold a few of her original paintings. Contact her at denisepearl@icloud.com..