You've Got Mail in the Good Old Summertime.

Yesterday I watched "You've Got Mail" for maybe the 20th time. For anyone who's lived on Mars the last two decades, it's Nora & Delia Ephron's version of a much older movie, "The Shop Around the Corner" with James Stewart, and Judy Garland and Van Johnson's, "In the Good Old Summertime." I saw another version at Oregon Shakespearean Festival's indoor theatre a couple of years ago called, "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not." (I think that's the title). All had the same premise, updated for the audience, and were comedic love stories.

Anyway, the story of love almost lost and then found, with the twist of secret pen pals, mistaken identity, and the natural competition/frustration in the work place is funny, sad, and a "right on" story that spans generations. I was thinking of my life and how fortunate I was not to have been put through such drama in the workplace or of the heart. I met my best friend in college and we've been married for almost 42 years. We wrote only a handful of letters, and mailed them from the same city, as we lived just a few blocks apart. But think about the thousands of singles, and not so single, of all ages who chat and connect online in today's computerized world of email, Facebook, twitter, and texting. Some relationships work out, but I bet most don't go anywhere or fail at some point, causing heartbreak, at the least. Using the Internet responsibly should be the rule, but one can be duped and hurt by dishonest people. A month or so ago I received a text, I hope by mistake, from a stranger. It was pretty racy. I just hope he realized he had sent it to the wrong person and was embarrassed. Now, as spring fever sets young and old hearts racing, I hope love is in the air for those who seek it - true and lasting love.

The Shoe Tree

We called it the “Shoe Tree” and looked for it every time we drove across the high desert region of central Oregon. Its striking contrast to the indigenous juniper, sage and grasses was immediately apparent. I can’t remember exactly when we first noticed the tree or how long it was in the making, but we anticipated its appearance just north of Shaniko, Oregon's quaint ghost town, that is currently inhabited by 25 living beings. The drive time from our shoe tree to our destination was about an hour and three quarters; so we knew how much time we had “ticked off” on our five hour drive.

I encouraged my husband to toss his old tennis shoes on its branches to add to the beauty of the tree, but he never got around to it. In February of 2010 we didn’t see our shoe tree, but thought we had missed it in winter's waning daylight. However, as we drove north along highway 97 a few days later, I realized that it was gone! A burnt stump was all that remained. We pulled over to discover that no brush fire had destroyed our tree. Its remains sat in the midst of winter’s green and yellow grasses. It was obviously destroyed by an act of vandalism.

Why would someone do this? The tree wasn’t hurting anyone; it didn’t harm the landscape or animals, and it always brought a smile. Well, at least I have a picture of the Shoe Tree that I can share with friends and family. Who knows? Maybe its cousin will crop up nearby one of these days.