Johnny Appleseed passed on Texas

Adrian, sitting next to me in the same spot on the patio yesterday morning while I drink my coffee...

“Mommy, do you think those trees by the fence will be big enough for me to build a treehouse in them when I’m grown up and get married?”

I look over to the northeast corner of our backyard, just off to the right of the makeshift fire pit we use when the weather is just right for making s'mores or for just sitting around listening to the crackle of fire with music in the background. Jose and I sit with our arms a pinkie's-distance apart while we sip on wine or a cold beer and watch the boys take turns one-upping each other on the trampoline. So many memories we have right there already, it hits me. I can see Veronica sitting across from me in the dark, the fire between us lighting up her beautiful face with her shiny dark hair framing her smile. I remember wondering where the years went as I look at her adult face and realize now that even that memory is almost 8 years old.

With all of that still playing in my head, I answer, “Hmmm maybe not those particular trees, but maybe we could plant another kind of tree now that would get big enough. What were you thinking about exactly?”

Adrian is looking towards the spot for which he is making plans and says, “Well, when I get married, we will need a place to live, so I’ll build a treehouse right there.”

Of all the things Adrian tells me, this one takes me a little by surprise.  Adrian? Thinking of getting  married and what his home will look like? “Oh nice! Can we meet right here each morning for coffee or iced tea or hot chocolate?” I add the tea and hot chocolate option, because he is convinced he will never like coffee, and I am looking for immediate gratification here.

Adrian doesn't disappoint, saying, “Yeah, we can probably do that.” Maybe I was looking for a resounding yes, but I'll take the "probably". He seems distracted in his thoughts, and I picture his mind swimming with visions of him wielding a hammer and a drill, holding screws between his lips while he looks down and asks for someone to hand him something out of his reach.  

He asks me where he would find the wood he needs and how we would get it here. There are so many details to think through that he decides he better start sketching some ideas soon. I agree that it's a great project for him to start on, and I remind him that he has his new sketch book with lots of clean pages.

Because I'm quite sure he hasn't thought of it yet, and I need to know what we are looking at here, I ask him, “Will you also put a bathroom in the treehouse? Or how will you guys take a shower and use the toilet?”

Adrian, thinking for a bit, finally answers, “Well, we will probably just come inside, because there’s not really enough privacy to use the bathroom in a treehouse... which reminds me! I’m gonna build a slide on it.”

The slide is a great option for getting down quickly when nature calls an emergency, I reinforce. He agrees.

“Will you have a kitchen so you can cook your food, or?” This is another detail I don't know if he has considered while he begins laying out the number of rooms he will need to build in this family treehouse of his. He will need a place to store his Z-bars for breakfast and his pepperoni and salami for sandwiches. We don't even know yet what his partner will consider staples.

Adrian opens his eyes wide and then blinks with a realization that the need to store and prepare food could present a challenge. But he decides fairly quickly, “We’ll probably just have a wireless stove or a grill something.”

Not wanting to overload him with too many things at once, I assure him that “Daddy can help you build a chimney so you can cook over fire maybe.” He twists his lips and tilts his head to the side, nodding slightly in a partial agreement.

Suddenly, Adrian's face lights up and he excitedly tells me, “OH! I know!! Let’s plant an apple tree right over there, so when we get hungry we can just reach out the window and grab an apple! I’m gonna go get an apple and eat it so I can get the seeds from it. You research how to plant them while I’m gone, ok?”

So I google how to grow an apple tree from seed, and when he comes back we read about it. Apples don’t look particularly promising here in North Texas, but we decide to try it anyway until we find another fruit tree he and his family might like just as well. I suggest a pecan tree, but that is quickly nixed since he's not a fan of nuts unless they're coated in sugar. But they grow really well here, I mention, just in case.

After finishing his apple, I help him pull the seeds from the core and find him a baggie with a paper towel so they can dry.

And now we have a baggie with granny apple seeds in it that today we will be adding peat moss to and putting in the fridge for 4 months for germination. Then we will transfer them to individual pods to see if they'll sprout, and THEN after a few more months we will eventually plant them in the ground and wait for them to amaze us with growing from sheer force of a 9 year old boy's will or prove to be a poor choice for Texas soil and climate after all.  

What are YOU doing this weekend? Getting a start on any future life plans of your own? 😜

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