My Love of Trees versus our need for Water

Hola Fellow Steemians! I am a self confessed 'tree lover and hugger'... and I wasn't expecting that to become a challenge in our new off-grid life! I naively thought we'll move in... love the land and everything will be hunky dory.

Well... it's not quite been like that! When we moved in almost 6 weeks ago, there was no water system plumbed into the house, so we were having to start from scratch. We have the right to take 1 hour of water a week from the 'acequia' channel that brings water down off the Sierra Nevada mountains and through our land, but the big problem is that the acequia stops for up to 4 months over the summer. So whatever our choices, it would have to involve building a large enough water deposit to tide us through the dry hot Spanish summer.

We had 2 months left in our rental before moving into our wee off-grid kingdom and most of that was spent getting quotes, more quotes, more opinions, having night terrors at the costs, getting our heads round incomprehensible bureaucracy and coping with even more opinions on the best way to bring running water into our house. None of it was made any easier by the fact that the last part of our track is not passable for larger trucks to bring in the considerable amounts of building materials needed.

To cut a long story short... we found an angel of a builder who made everything possible... and spoke English... and was an absolute star. He was innovative and helpful... which was just as well as there was a rather lovely mature olive tree where the water deposit had to be built. And this was a huge issue for me.

Cue, protest, tears and heartbreak.

It wasn't a protest I was going to win, but here's where it gets interesting.

It turned out that the builder's father used to be a lumberjack and was now totally averse to any pruning or felling of trees. This meant that he totally understood where I was coming from.. and immediately came on side.

We were going to save the tree. Yes, she would have to have her branches pruned and she would be uprooted... but she would be relocated to a special spot nearby.

HALLELUJAH!

I was over the moon. In the run up to the big day, I began tuning in energetically to the tree and sending her messages of love and telling her what was going to happen. I asked her to pull her energy back into her trunk and to trust me. Over those days I placed my hands on her trunk, felt her presence... felt rushes of energy come from her and I felt a deep connection between us. As an empath I found it all hugely emotional but also incredible to feel the life force of this special tree.

The day of her move came and I had butterflies in my stomach and a lump in my throat. Everyone was under strict instructions that she was to be relocated and not felled. Some of the builders saw me as a nuisance and some as just weird... but I didn't care. As her branches were cut back, I actually felt a relief flood through me and a sense of everything being more than ok. I admit that I couldn't watch her being taken out of the ground... but she was laid on her side further along the terrace to await her new home while the foundations were built.

We had to wait a few days before the Bobcat driver came back so I went every day and visited her, laying my hands on her trunk and I was initially worried that I felt so little life force compared to before. It felt like she'd moved into a state of limbo. I was reassured by local friends that olive trees are amazingly hardy and that a few days out of the ground wouldn't be a problem. It was more my emotions that were the problem!

And then the day of her relocation came! We picked a spot near my caravan office on the terrace near other olive trees and there she was planted and secured and well and truly watered. I commandeered all the big jerry cans of water that had been collected for the concrete and water was pooled around her trunk and we were under strict instructions to keep the water coming.

She didn't look great... the pruning had been way too harsh for my liking... it still hurts when I see her... but most importantly, I could feel her life force coming back.

Today she stands overlooking our open view and I've laid crystals around her trunk to help her recover.

I've used natural pieces and hearts of rose quartz and clear quartz points to help empower and support her with love.

Rose quartz is the stone of unconditional love and peace... and clear quartz is a power house for magnifying energy and protection.

You may think I over reacted... you may think I'm overly sentimental... or you may just feel the love... either way... I hope you've enjoyed hearing about this special tree and our quest to have running water in our home.

I have a lot to learn about tree husbandry and how we will best take care of the 80+ olive trees now under our charge. We hope to harvest the trees for olive oil in the future so I know I am going to have to 'toughen up' when it's time to prune them back and encourage new growth.

In the meantime... tomorrow is a big day... it's the day of our water deposit finally being connected to the house and of seeing if that shower will actually work!

Wishing you all you lovely Steemians a wonderful evening!

Love,

Sally xx