Walnut Reminiscences
My favourite part of our property is the amount of walnut trees that we have. Planted strategically around the house and along the road, they give us shade and protection from the elements, especially with the strong winds that we have had these last few years.
When we first moved here, after living on a new subdivision lot with one single tree planted on the boulevard, the fascination with these trees was great. We nailed some boards on a smaller walnut so that our youngest daughter could climb into the crux of the tree and sit there with her friends. The kids used leaves and branches in their creations in the sandbox or whatever type of play they were enjoying. Several teepees using thicker twigs were erected in the forest and the last one stood for over a decade.
Since we moved here in the fall, we only really experienced the trees as they went through the colder season. But the next spring allowed us to watch the evolution as the trees came back to life. The lush, green leaves grew very quickly. The scent of the trees as you sat under them and ran your fingers over the soft leaves was pleasant in such a way that it was hard to define what the smells were exactly. They were more of a feeling, one that was soothing and pleasant and unlike any perfume scientifically concocted in a lab.
Colleen Walsh references Dawn Goldworm in The Harvard Gazette's article, What The Nose Knows, February 27, 2020, when she says "...that smell is the only fully developed sense a fetus has in the womb, and it's one of the most developed in a child through the age of around 10 when sight takes over." How crucial it is to surround your child with scents that are uplifting and positive, especially in the early years.
I am glad we were able to give our children the gift of space and greenery when we made the move to live in a more rural setting. Whenever anyone's kids came to visit, they would run and play outside, not be hunched over some console in the family room, being entertained by a game for hours on end. I remember having friends over where the boys were running around in the yard splashing through puddles and all the parents could focus on was yelling at them to not get dirt on their clothes. Or my other friend who came to pick up her girls after a playdate and how she wrinkled her nose when the girls showed her the shell and rock treasures they fished out of the little ditch out front. These kids will remember the feel of the cool water against their bare legs. The boys will remember the feel of the wind in their faces as the kids chased each other and played like they had never played before.
Even today as I look up into the lush foliage of the walnut trees and reach out to touch the leaves and admire the little green walnuts nestled in their shells as they are growing, I inadvertently breathe deeply. My sense of smell may not be as keen as it was when I was 10 years old. But I take in all the verdant greenery surrounding us here, both in the trees and the open fields and as I breathe the cool, crisp morning air and the scents of the walnut foliage, I feel a sense of peace that I won't feel during the rest of my busy day scurrying around with work and family.
So the takeaway is to wake up and smell the roses or the walnut trees or whatever surrounds you. Plant flowers where you can enjoy them, both visually and sensually. Go for a walk in the early morning and listen, see and smell nature all around.
I showed several houses to some new out-of-town clients this past weekend. We looked at house after house in several developments and I finally figured out why the houses were not clicking with them. It wasn't the house itself. It was always the yard. Although they never said they wanted a large yard and were adamant that they didn't want acreage, I know what it was they wanted. They were looking for peace and serenity and I know I can find them that in rural Niagara-on-the-Lake!
Lolita Schimann Hale
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