Some recent finds while trekking amongst the trees. “Look carefully and what do you see?”
These are quieter days as we take to the woods. Many of the birds have migrated and the ones that stay put are going about their business without much fanfare. So, as we put one foot in front of the other, we turn to the trees, the giants and the saplings. They have shed their leaves so we can fully admire them as we hoof it around town. We run our hands over their bark and admire lichen attached to the trunk. We pretty much know what to expect as we hike on these familiar trails but are still amazed at how deep we can see into the woods now that the leaves are gone. We notice stone walls that we had forgotten and big holes in trees begging for a raccoon to set up shop. There are a few aberrations in the actual trees that we count on as well. At Stoney Brook there is a tree shaped like a seat, and we can’t pass it by without stopping and resting our feet for a while. At Lewis Farm bird sanctuary there is a bulging root that looks like T- Rex’s eye. We peer at it, and it peers back, and we cue the music to Jurassic Park in our heads. This year I was in for a new surprise when I came across a tree that had Alfred E. Neuman’s face in it. It is an old giant of a tree with gnarled bark and a gash or two. But these scars all worked together to present as Alfred E. Neuman with branch buds as ears and a gash as a gap-toothed smile.
For those who are unfamiliar with Alfred E. Neuman (AEN), he was the mascot of MAD magazine. He was known for his freckled face, gap tooth smile and bulging ears. Alfred E. Neuman was the face of the anti-establishment periodical that would arrive at our doorstep monthly. MAD magazine reached its peak circulation in 1973-74 with its satirical commentary on life, pop culture and public figures. In our teenage years, its arrival would immediately cause a big ruckus as we fought over first viewing. My brothers always won, but eventually I would get my turn to look at spy versus spy. I knew my older brothers would have commandeered the MAD fold in page, and the alter image would have been revealed by them before I even had a chance at it. We were enthralled by Alfred E. Neuman and tried to locate him throughout the issue which involved hours of thumbing through the pages when we should have been doing our homework. So, needless to say, I was pretty excited about locating Alfred E. Neuman disguised on the bark of a tree before my brothers beat me to it.
I recalled back a few decades when there would be news items on someone somewhere spotting the likeness of a famous individual on the pattern of bark on a tree. It might be the likeness of Elvis or a religious figure and would prompt a pilgrimage of regular folks coming from a great distance, lined up to see it with their own eyes. I relayed this backstory to my partner as I went to great lengths to show him Alfred E. Neuman in the towering tree. We stood, looking at the tree from various angles with me pointing out what he should be looking at. Sadly, he couldn’t make it out, and my dream of notoriety for having found MAD’s Mascot here in Suffield was dashed. We agreed to put any thoughts of AEN to bed and to call it a day.
That was all good and fine, but one byproduct remains from my deep dive into Alfred E. Neuman and MAD magazine. Alfred’s motto in life “What, me worry?!” is something I am trying to incorporate into my self-talk. Maybe it can replace my wringing hands and sleepless nights from excessive worry. Sounds like he has the right attitude.