Braeburn, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp...

I love apples.  A crisp, juicy, not-too-sweet apple in the autumn is one of nature's tastiest treats. And when given the opportunity to choose a name to indicate my harmony with nature, I chose Apple. (And this was years before Gwynneth Paltrow thought to name her daughter Apple!)

Back in the late '80s I went to a workshop in the High Sierras of Nevada at a place called Joy Lake, a former western movie set now dotted with yurts in which workshoppers stayed.  The theme was "Green Witch Week," with an herbalist and Wise Woman named Susun Weed.  It wasn't the workshop I'd signed up for -- I had planned to spend a week singing with Susan Osborne, the glorious voice of the early Paul Winter Consort. (Her version of "Lay Down Your Burdens" from the Consort's Common Ground album remains an anthem for me.) But Susan's workshop canceled, Susun's "Green Witch Week" was available, I considered myself a natural new age woman,  and the plane tickets were already purchased... so off I went.  And as with so many things, just because it wasn't what I thought I wanted didn't mean it wasn't exactly what I needed!

It was a year when I was doing the Optifast diet (before Oprah did it... what a trend-setter I am with all these celebs copying me)... living on a protein powder mixed in diet pop.  At Joy Lake I was surrounded by all these women from around the country who were natural, earth-mother types, seemingly all totally at peace with themselves and puzzled at why I would do this artificial thing to myself.  Particularly because the food at Joy Lake was thoughtful, organic and HEALTHY.  Still, I persisted with my powder.

Part of what Susun had to teach us was to recognize what the plants of any locale had to offer us by way of healing, and to open ourselves to communication from the plant devas... the spirits of the living things in the plant world.  And truly, when I was standing in the woods among the huge tall trees, I heard lots of little giggles... like the Munchkins hiding from Dorothy at the beginning of the yellow brick road.  I believe it was the voices of the lichen devas... since I am famous for my bazillion photographs of moss, lichen, mushrooms, toadstools... all the tiny beings that people miss because they're looking at the trees. (Not that I have anything against trees. Some of my best friends are trees.)

It was during that week that Susun invited us to choose a name for our Green Witch selves... and I chose Apple because the trees are friendly, beautiful, fragrant and useful, providing a versatile and healthful food.  It's been good to remember that choice, while writing this. 

The reason I'm talking about apples at all is because today's creative effort is an invitation designed to lure someone over to play "Apples to Apples -- the game of hilarious comparisons" with me.  (Each player is dealt seven red apple cards, each with a noun, noun phrase, or maybe a gerund.  The "judge" draws a green apple card with an adjective on it, and places it face up for all to see. The other players choose from among their nouns what they think is the best match for the adjective, and turn their choices in face down. The judge shuffles them,  reads them out, and -- totally subjectively -- decides which one makes some kind of sense to the judge.  Whoever contributed the red apple word that the Judge chose gets a point.)  I have laughed VERY hard while playing this game.
So watch your mail.  An invitation could come to YOU!