So you NAMED a TREE?

Well, the short answer is yes. We have named a tree. A Brazilian Raintree (pithecellobium tortum) to be exact. It is a 9 year old, 1 foot high bonsai tree that is going to be a little project of mine for the next year.

The short term focus of the project is for me not to kill said bonsai tree!

The long term focus is to take pictures and do funny things with the tree (AvaJar), and post them on here so Jar can see them and know we are thinking about him. For example: decorate Avajar in Red, White, and Blue for Independence Day. Put Christmas ornaments on it at Christmas time. Take it to a football game and take a picture (yes, I am talking about taking a tree to a football game). I have no idea how this will work out, but I am pretty sure those of you who had questions about my sanity will be able to make your mind up after reading this.

I think it will be a positive distraction for me, and will let me work on my fledgling photography hobby. Jar took to the idea a lot better than I thought he would (i.e. didn't mention committing me to a psychiatric unit when I told him what I was thinking about), and is all for it. He even picked out the tree and named it! George is just excited that we have a little tree.

And it is no coincidence that, though Avajar was ordered a week ago, it appeared on the day Jar went active duty?

In my defense, the idea came from this blog: www.waveatthebus.blogspot.com

Now I know they are taking pictures of a person every day, but still. Instead of tying a yellow ribbon around one of the trees in the front yard, or sticking a ribbon magnet on my car (thereby announcing to crooks and thieves that I am a female who is more than likely home alone in the process), I wanted to do something different. So we are gonna give it a whirl and see what happens. At worst, I will just be some crazy girl carrying around a tiny, potted tree. At best, we will have a project to commemorate making it through the hardest of times, something to look back and laugh about, something that will be forever immortalized on the Internet!

So join us, if you're so obliged. If you're not, at least keep your voices down and your pointing at a minimum when you see me, George, and Avajar on the street.