The Mimosa Tree

I was walking one morning when I was suddenly flooded with memories of summertime when we lived on Brandon Rd, near Pennington, NJ. I looked around and realized that I was standing underneath a mimosa tree in full bloom. The scent of the pink powderpuff blossoms had instantly erased twenty years and I remembered all the fun we had in, on, and underneath that tree.

The mimosa tree in our front yard was a wonderful tree to play in when we were kids. The trunk split just a foot and a half off the ground so that even the smallest of us could get a good foothold to climb up. Branches were spaced like a staircase into the tree and it spread out wide enough to accommodate any and all who wanted to climb. The tree regularly held eight to ten kids and more on occasion.

Mom holding Steven, Sharon Litecky, Stacy, Michelle, Brian, James, Laurie

The tree was home base during games of tag and hide-and-seek, a base during kickball games, and was often a house or ship during games of make-believe. When we played house, there were plenty of branches to be bedrooms to put "the kids and babies" down for a nap. We made "salad" by shredding the  leaves and tossing them with pink puffs or the orange berries off a nearby bush. And because grass doesn't grow well when there are so many kids playing, a little water was all that was needed to stir up some mud pies and soups to round out the meal. The pink puffs were a delight to little girls. Not only did they smell wonderful, they became makeup poufs, or hair decorations when we played getting ready to go out.

When our own imaginations wore out, it was a great place to take a book. All of us remember taking a book up to the branch that forked just right for you to sit and lean back against the trunk. It was possible for a young child to get quite comfortable for an extended journey into a new adventure.

The mimosa tree in our yard was the ultimate outdoor playground. Many happy adventures with siblings and friends took place beneath the wide spread of its branches during the steamy days of a New Jersey summer. It was a delight to be transported back by its sweet smell as I stood underneath the mimosa tree.