Healing Gardens

Hi there!  My name is Tracy.  I was born in Puyallup, WA and have lived here my entire life so far.  However, I would love to migrate North to Alaska or Canada.  I don’t have much of an idea of my heritage, except that my grandmother (my father’s side) is full Russian, but I can’t get a good idea from her as to what part of Russia her family came from.  Ugh.  I love the outdoors, especially backpacking with my little red cattle dog, Willow; mushrooms, plants, music, rocks, and photographing all of these things.  I live on Harstine Island with my husband, Michael, five dogs, four cats, three rats, a tortoise, a tarantula, chickens, and two fire bellied toads. 

I am a Junior and trying to focus on environmental studies, though I can only attend classes in the evening and on weekends.  It is a little frustrating what is available.  I work full time for Thurston County Environmental Health and hope to become involved in Public Education and Outreach.  I am taking Healing Gardens to better my understanding of plants and plant ID, and love the creativity that this class allows. 

The Story of Maple Man and The Moss Maiden

Long ago, when the Moss People were still not part of the forest, there was a young maiden who liked to visit the forest every day to forage for food.  One day, she decided to go deeper into the forest than normal and came upon a beautiful tree she had never seen before.   She had traveled quite far that day, and decided to take a rest under the tree.   She walked up to the tree and introduced herself and where she had come from.  In turn, the tree introduced himself as Maple Man and was delighted that someone had come to visit, for it had been a very long time since there had been anyone new to talk to.  They talked and talked until very late in the day, and the Moss Maiden realized that she had to go back to the village before dark.  They said their goodbyes and she promised to come back the next day. Indeed she did come back, and the day after that, and the day after that….They talked and laughed and began to fall in love.  Each day, she barely made it back to the village before dark, and usually quite empty-handed.  The other villagers began to wonder where she went during the day, and quickly wearied of her lack of participation in the food gathering. Then, one day, they cornered her as she was leaving the village.  “Where do you go everyday and not find food?” they asked.  She told them about Maple Man and how she had fallen in love.  The villagers laughed at her and thought she was crazy.  The elders said that she wasn’t allowed into the forest any more and she had to stay in the village and weave baskets instead of finding food.  The Moss Maiden wept and could feel how here heart would break if she was forbidden her one true love.  She let out a defiant scream and ran into the forest as fast as she could.  She ran and ran until she reached Maple Man and flung herself against him as hard as she could.  As she told him what had happened, and that she could never go back, her tears fell onto his bark.  As the bark absorbed the tears, moss began to grow.  Many different mosses grew where the tears had fallen.  They grew around the trunk of Maple Man and into his branches.  They grew over the maiden clinging to him and held her there.  She began to laugh with joy because she knew then that they could be together forever, for they supported one another with their strength.  And together they lived, bearing many moss-covered maple children. That is why the Maple tree supports so many more kinds of mosses than other trees.