AUGUST 23, 2021 – I first cordoned off the crime scene. I accomplished this figuratively, visualizing a “NO GO” zone (except for myself) within a 20-foot radius of the base of the sign. Next, I examined the sign itself for clues. Except for the popped rivets and 90-degree bend in the stake, the sign itself bore not a scratch. Likewise, I found no sign of tampering with the wooden post that I’d attached to the metal stake strictly for aesthetic effect. (The sign is attached to the post, which, bolted to (and hiding) the narrower, metal stake, simply touches the ground, producing the appearance that the sign is held up by the post.) Carefully, I bent the stake back to its original, upright position. I then examined the crime scene for clues.
No tree or branch had fallen on the sign. In fact, the sign was posted just outside the power line easement that borders the north edge of the tree garden. The 30-foot-wide easement is wholly clear of trees. Every couple of years, the power co-op sends in a maintenance crew to keep the easement clear, but I saw no sign of equipment tracks or human footprints. The tall grass and other vegetation in the vicinity of the sign revealed no evidence of any recent disturbance.
Whatever weapon had been deployed in the assault of the sign was nowhere to be seen.
Clueless, I took the next logical step: assembling a list of possible suspects. There was Sue, our artist friend who’s my wife’s regular hiking friend. She’d hiked in the tree garden during a visit last June. Another suspect was my wife’s cousin Kathy, a more recent visitor, who also hiked in the tree garden. Earlier this summer, I led our friends Rich and Melinda on a tour of the tree garden. They’d rented a cabin at the big bend in the lakeshore a quarter of a mile down the lakeshore, and I’d led them down the trail, so to speak. Finally, there were Steve and Nancy, neighbors of ours down the way. I’ve shown them the tree garden, and they’ve responded enthusiastically. Given their close proximity, I’d encouraged them to hike the trails on their own.
The tree garden is so isolated, I couldn’t think of any other suspects that might have stumbled into it unawares. Only the aforementioned people, would know how to find it.
But all of the suspects are in their 60s and read books. They simply aren’t the type who would knock over a “NOR – WAY” trail sign in a tree garden. But of course, Vladimir Lenin read books, and he knocked over lots of things. He didn’t reach 60, however. He died at 54.
Suddenly, I experienced a “Eureka!” moment. The tree garden lies within our family’s acreage called, Björnholm. “Björn” means bear . . . in Swedish. That was it! A rather large Swedish “björn” encountered the sign, and in a moment in time, the ferocious animal had flattened “NOR WAY.”
That’s my working theory, anyway.
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© 2021 by Eric Nilsson
