The Willow / Along Spring Creek

With more wintry weather on the way, my husband and I scooted into town to run some errands, do a little shopping, and eat out before the next storm hit. There was plenty of time, as the snow didn't start until around dark.

We did a little blitzkrieg, making 10 stops before coming back home. One of them was to drop off my last two library books I'd finished - a J.D. Robb and an Iris Johansen - the final ones I received via the (no longer existent, alas) book lockers at Way Fruit Farm. The neighbor cat, LGK, who'd been AWOL for a few days, welcomed us back to our own driveway upon our return.

Two of our stops were just for me, for walks and photos. The first one was a little stroll to Benner Cemetery, which can be accessed via a parking lot along Shiloh Road. I had been hopeful that I'd get some snowy cemetery shots, but alas, there IS NO SNOW in State College. Who'd have thought it? We have PLENTY out here!

So there was no pretty snow for my cemetery photo jaunt, but I got some good ones without it. Above is a shot of the willow on the grave of Philip Benner, Jr., who died on February 24, 1839, at the age of 42 years and 2 months.

The willow was a common image on grave stones from the early 1800s, during the time of what they called the Greek revival. The weeping part seems self-evident, as we weep for our dead. But there's more to it.

In the Christian Bible, the willow is a symbol of everlasting life, as the tree is known to flourish and remain whole, no matter how many branches are cut off it. In ancient Greece, it was common to place willow branches in the coffins of the dead, or to plant willow saplings on graves, in the belief that the spirit of the dead would rise up through the tree.

The second stop just for me was a quick visit to a favorite place along the banks of Spring Creek, by the spillway and the rusty bridge where I found that Madonna statue years ago. I always check for her, because I yearn to see her again. I wonder still who put her there, and who took her in the end. But there was a fisherman there, so I did not go behind that tree for a look.

Anyway, in the extras, you may see the spillway and some nice reflections in that favorite place. I usually stand on a cement wall by a tree along the creek, but the water was running high, and I couldn't safely jump that far. So I had to tide myself over with the shot I got, from a rock below that tree and wall.

Since I have two photos, let's have two songs. As soon as I saw that willow, I knew it had to be my shot for the day. You know how I am about trees! So our willow song is Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, with Whiskey Lullaby. (And yes, that IS Jerry Douglas on dobro, Dan Tyminski on guitar and vocals, Ron Block on banjo, and Abraham Laboriel on bass.) The song to go with my Spring Creek shot, with the water running high like a river, is John Mellencamp, with To the River.