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December 24, 2004 - A very 'Seedy' ChristmasThe Suffolk Times I A very 'Seedy' Christmas Top Stories Business Obituaries Police Reports Sports News Tips Editorials Columns Letters to the Editor Email us Subscribe Now Classifieds Service Directory Backlssues Digital Edition Community News Calendar Dining Health Real Estate East End Links Site Help The Suffolk Times the *ffolh iffits-0 Official Newspaper of Southold Town A very 'Seedy' Christmas Focus on Nature By Paul Stoutenburgh Bobby and Erin lived by a great evergreen forest where nothing but Christmas trees grew- This story is about a very special seed whose life started in that evergreen forest. Did you know all trees have seeds of one kind or another? The seeds of an oak tree are its acorns- The seeds of a hickory tree are its nuts and the seeds of a Christmas tree are the tiny seeds inside its cones. You'll be surprised to find out what happens to one little seed from inside the cone of a Christmas tree one stormy winter night. A seed is a beautiful thing, for it carries Times/Review photos by Barbara all the necessary parts of what that seed Stoutenburgh is going to be. Can you tell now what this Christmas story is going to be about? You're right It's about a special little seed whose name was Seedy- You may not think it could be much of a Christmas story if it's about a seed, but you wait and see. Our story starts with Seedy living inside a cone high up in the top of a tall evergreen tree- How he loved it up there, swinging back and forth in the wind- There was only one thing he was afraid of, and that was falling out of his snug little home and getting hurt when he hit the ground- His fear of falling came true, for one winter's night there was a terrible, howling snowstorm. it thrashed the trees about so badly that Seedy was shaken out of his home and thrown out into the swirling snow- He didn't know what was going on- Head over heels he fell until he hit the ground. Luckily there was a lot of snow and he fell softly into it- As time went on, Seedy saw the ice melt and the snow go away and it got warmer and warmer - Then, one warm afternoon, he felt something inside of him start to move- What could be moving inside of him? It was a root, and it started to work itself down into the warm earth. Each day the root went down deeper and deeper - Then something else started to move inside of him. It wiggled and twisted and, to and behold, Seedy put out brand -new green shoots. Pagel of 3 Friday Decernl Quick Sean Search weatt� Enter city c http: / /w,wnv2.timesreview. coin/ ST /community/298586924980553.php 12/24/2004 Next morning, he looked around to see where he was- He couldn't move because Staff Roster seeds don't have legs and arms like you do, so all he could do after the storm stopped was look around- He saw that other seeds had been blown out of their cones Rate Card as well_ They were sprinkled all around and were buried in the snow just like he was. Through the days that followed, all went well unfit around Christmas time, when Mrs. Ftzzytail, the gray squirrel, came around looking for nuts and seeds for a Christmas The News - Review basket she was making up for her sick mother. She found very few, for most of the seeds had been taken earlier by Squeaky the mouse, so seed piddng was pretty Shelter Island poor- (Aren't You glad Mrs. Fuzzytail didn't see our friend Seedy?) Reporter There was nothing he could do but just lie there and wait for spring to come along. The North Shore Sun Each day there were fewer and fewer seeds around because all the little forest folks who were hungry would come by looking for nuts and seeds to eat Seedy waited and waited. He was lucky because he just happened to be partially hidden under a piece The Wine Press of dead wood that fell down in one of the winter storms. So, when anyone came looking for nuts or seeds, they never found Seedy. As time went on, Seedy saw the ice melt and the snow go away and it got warmer and warmer - Then, one warm afternoon, he felt something inside of him start to move- What could be moving inside of him? It was a root, and it started to work itself down into the warm earth. Each day the root went down deeper and deeper - Then something else started to move inside of him. It wiggled and twisted and, to and behold, Seedy put out brand -new green shoots. Pagel of 3 Friday Decernl Quick Sean Search weatt� Enter city c http: / /w,wnv2.timesreview. coin/ ST /community/298586924980553.php 12/24/2004 The Suffolk Times I A very 'Seedy' Christmas Page 2 of 3 He looked around and saw that 10 or 12 other seeds had made it through the winter, and each one had new green shoots. Just when Seedy thought everything was going all right, another problem came up. It was those big — no, giant — animals called deer. They came along, nibbling away at any tender new shoot they could find. Seedy was afraid he was going to be eaten up. But luck was with him, and the deer passed him by. He couldn't blame the deer. They were hungry. That s just the way things are in the forest; deer have always nibbled and browsed on bushes and twigs. Its just like you when you find something good to eat It's all part of life. You eat vegetables, don't you? You eat fruit, don't you? And so the deer have to eat, too. As years went by, Seedy grew to be a beautiful, strong tree, almost as tall as you are. It took eight years for him to grow that tall. It seemed every year there was something happening to him. Once there was an ice storm. The ice formed so thickly on his little branches that they bent him right down to the ground. He thought he would be broken in two, but no, the sun came out and melted the ice and he popped right back up. By now he had grown into the most perfect small tree in the whole forest. He didn 't think much about it until one wintry day when a boy and a girt came into the forest He remembered it was just a few days before Christmas. The girl was carrying a shovel and the boy was pushing a wheelbarrow along in front of him. They had come to dig up a Christmas tree. Each year Robby and Erin would go into the woods and find the perfect tree. Not a big one, but one they could bring back to the house. They had to be very careful to get all of the roots and dirt so it could be planted later. Erin was very particular about the size and shape of the tree she wanted. They went from one tree to another, back and forth, and then Erin stopped and said, "There's the one 1 want" And she pointed her finger right at Seedy. '9Nhats going on?" cried Seedy. "I'm being dug up." Sure enough, with many grunts and groans, Robby dug up the tree and wrapped its roots in burlap. It took the two of them to put the tree in the wheelbarrow. Seedy said to himself, "It fell funny when Robby cut my roots, but then it didn't hurt that much; it was a funny feeling." Back at the house, Seedy was put out on the patio of Robby and Erin's new home. That afternoon they put a whole bunch of brightly colored lights all over Seedy's branches. How proud Seedy was! There must have been a hundred or more tiny lights all through his branches and, when they were turned on, people came from all around just to see the newly lighted tree. On Christmas Eve Santa came and, of course, stopped at Robby and Erin's house. But when he tried to go down the chimney, it was too small, and besides, they had put a metal cap over the top of the chimney to keep away that pesky raccoon. Now what is he to do with all their presents? You guessed it! He put them out on the patio under Seedy's lighted tree. There were all kinds of presents, because Erin and Robby had been especially good. Seedy wondered what was in all of the presents, but he would have to wait until morning when they got up. Sure enough, in the morning Erin and Robby got up and ran into the living room, but there wasn't a single present Erin looked at Robby and a big tear rolled down her cheek, "Did Santa forget us?" Robby knew that couldn't be, so he started looking around, but still he couldn't find a single present Then he looked out on the patio, and there under the tree were all kinds of beautifully wrapped boxes with big red bows. That was a day Seedy will never forget. He was very proud of being a part of it Every night people came to visit and sing carols, and everyone would say, "What a beautiful Christmas tree!" Trees can't stay out of the ground with their roots balled up forever, but what was Seedy to do? He'd just have to hope they knew he needed a drink of water. It rained one night, but it wasn't much. Erin and Robby had forgotten that trees, bushes and http:// www2. timesreview. com/ ST/Community/298586924980553.php 12/24/2004 The Suffolk Times I A very'Seedy' Christmas Page 3 of 3 plants need water. When Robby's grandfather, who was a gnat farmer, came over to visit he said, "You'd better plant that tree and give it lots of water, or it's going to die." So Robby got his shovel and dug a hole in the front yard, where Seedy could grow as big as he wanted, and planted him in it. It was the perfect place, right outside their big picture window. From that Christmas on, tree rights were put on Seedy's branches and it was one of the prettiest Christmas trees on the block So you see, boys and girls, a seed that started out small, just like you, grew into a beautiful Christmas tree. To this day, every Christmas people come and see the lighted tree that started with a little seed called Seedy. © 2004 Times - Review Newspapers http:// wwvv2. timesreview. com/ ST/communiV/298586924980553.php 12/24/2004