Buckeye Trees as Childhood Pets

Garland Ranch, 1976-ish:

When I was little, like most people in the area, we spent an average amount of picnic days at Garland Ranch in Carmel Valley.  We lived out in the Village for a few years, so it was a nearby, wonderful place to enjoy.  Flash memories of those days are slippery stones under my bare feet in a cold but refreshing Carmel River.  There were really dirty soft dirt paths that came with lots of spiritual stories about Native Americans and mountain lions.  I think of thick, warm air that muffled all of the scents and sounds around me into my own private harmony.  I felt (and still feel) total freedom there, almost like an animal but in a people kind of way.
There was one afternoon I remember in particular because I really wanted to take some buckeye balls home that day.  It was dusk and time to leave so I filled my knee socks with buckeyes and walked to my mother with these very bumby legs, it was funny! When we got home, my mom helped me to sprout one of the balls and soon, I was the proud mother of a tiny tree that had every reason to love me! 
My Buckeye tree did quite well in it's private master pot for a very long time...even survived a couple of moves until the time when we moved to Sonoma for 6 months because my mother was married to a Hungarian man for that long and Sonoma was where we lived, 844 Oak Lane, to be specific.  Charming place.  At The Creamery, I know I held the high score on Centipede and Ms. Pacman, too and wow, we all loved those Piroshkis they served there...with sour cream, mmm, I can taste it now! 
Okay, I got off track.  In Sonoma, my tree had to be planted into the ground because it had grown so well.  When we moved back to Carmel, it was too big to dig up so I had to say good-bye to my old friend, the Buckeye tree.  It was tough, crazy as it sounds.
Over the many years, I have often wondered how my Buckeye tree was doing.  Was he strong and healthy, were his leaves not so green without me...you know, the usual curiosities.  I finally went to Sonoma about 7 years ago and walked from the main square through my old neighborhood and I found the house on Oak Lane in an instinctual way.  It had been a long time, I didn't remember the turns.

I saw a big, beautiful tree that towered over the backyard of where I lived, right in the spot where I left mine.  Because of the time of year, I couldn't really tell if the tree was a Buckeye, so  I was a bit disappointed, though left to wonder, which has a mystique of it's own.  And hope.  I chose to believe that tree was my Buckeye.  I picked a beautiful, giant, yellow rose and put it on my bag, knowing I would keep it forever in memory of that visit.  Our neighbor's backyard had an actual, regulation 'Pickle Ball' court and I seriously loved that game in the 7th Grade, so I peeked at the court for old time's sake, too(o:

Fast-Forward to now.  Well, about a month ago...When I was driving to Garland Ranch for a hopefully bonding walk with my 2 teenage sons, I was telling my Buckeye story along the way.  I had never shared it until lately and the moment was perfect timing, as we were going to Garland that day.

We had our moppy dog Sophie girl with us and the day was perfect.  Close to dusk, we decided to start hiking in the direction we had already been going in and I pointed out to my son Collin that we were on Buckeye Trail!  When I was laughing at the coincidence, I looked down and in the moist soil at my feet, there were 3 shiny Buckeye balls!  I picked them up and noticed that they had all started sprouting and one of them even had a tiny tree bursting from it's split root.
 I felt so excited because I knew what a gift I was holding in my hands.  I felt as if Garland Ranch had just given me my tree back, along with two more, for my sons.  I was just telling them the story in the car.  It was a very spiritual moment and it felt so wonderful and complete to have been able to share that gift of time with the two people I love most in this world.  There was meaning in it.
 As we hiked that day, I must have jostled the 3 Buckeye balls too much in my hands because when we stopped again, I noticed that the root of a second ball had split and it's new, tiny tree was peaking out.  Talk about the feeling of having received a gift, the moment made me well up inside with surprise and excitement.  It was totally enchanting.
I currently keep our 3 buckeye balls safe in their soil, but travel ready!   Thank you wonderful Buckeyes of Garland Ranch...next time, I'm wearing knee socks!(o: