It has been a wet and stormy summer here in Knoxville. Some mornings my walks begin with the gathering up of fallen branches and this past week I've often walked past this large fallen limb. My photo doesn't really capture it well. There is a creatureliness to the way I see the branch in the early morning light that I have not managed to capture on my phone. Nonetheless it always makes me smile. Somehow I think of a giant insect or perhaps a dragon and am reminded both of the way there is a mystery to our world that we often miss in our day to day rush, and the way that this mystery fuels imagination and the building of imaginary worlds. Somehow this simple branch puts me in mind of rereading the Lord of the Rings, perhaps because it reminds me of my youthful imaginings of that world (long before there was a movie version), but it makes me think of the novels of Charles Williams as well, and do not remember strange mythical creatures in Williams's novels, so perhaps this is just a trick of the imagination. Or perhaps I am reminded of Williams simply through his connection to Tolkien through the Inklings, and am reminded that it has been many years since I have reread Williams. I was excited to learn however that my grandson is now reading The Hobbit, his required reading before entering the sixth grade this fall.
I also finished unpacking the last box in the main living part of the house last week. That doesn't mean everything is put away. There are some storage and furniture issues that will be worked out over time, but I feel comfortably settled and I use every room in the house, which was not the case in my former abode.
The last box I unpacked was a box labeled "small items", and it was a wonderland of treasures and a few useless items that went promptly to the donation pile. One of the last things I unpacked was Gumby Doc. I really hadn't thought about him at all, but once I found him I knew I was home. He is still sitting in the spot pictured above although the bowl and the brass pharmacy mortar have been moved. Doc might move as well, depending on what I store in the cabinet, and how often I need to open the door beneath his feet, but for now I am happy with him exactly where he is.
