This is Deputy Digby Pancake.  We arrived in Santa Barbara, California yesterday, and wow, was it a long ride.  Not really.  It was only two hours from Arroyo Grande.

But since the persons decided they wanted to see a few more things before really hitting the road hard next week to that Florida place, it seemed only appropriate that we stop at the world’s biggest fig tree.  Actually, I don’t know when it is ever appropriate to stop at the world’s biggest fig tree.  But everyone should do it. When I saw it, well, I thought maybe it was a FIGment of my imagination!

The persons told us that probably not many people would go out of their way to see a tree.  But why not?  People will go out of their way to go to stores, or see statues, or even go to museums.  But a tree that is the largest fig tree in the world, on the middle of a busy street, has so many people that drive by it, and never stop to give it the respect it deserves.  What they don’t FIGure out is that your life should never be so busy that you can’t stop to admire a fig tree.

The only way that a fig tree this large could disappoint me would be to not let me pee on it.  I have peed on a tree in all 48 states, and this would have been the absolute dream to mark my spot…FIGuratively speaking of course.  But the fence around it told me that this was not possible.  And as Girl Person talked about the fruit on it, and the cookies that she used to eat when she was little that were soft and chewy and gooey…well, I thought that if I ever could plant a tree other than a pancake tree, this would be it. Soft. Sweet. Gooey. Chewy.  Just. Like. Me.

We are carrying a lot of things back with us to our new house…wherever that is.  Memories and lessons are just some of them. We put all of these things on a shelf like a FIGurine.  Because we have lived the dream.

We have saved seeds from our favorite fruits and vegetables to plant, we bought a little sequoia tree, and we made a bird feeder. These things all need a home now as much as we do.  But just like this fig tree was transplanted and moved in order to reach its full potential, that has been where our paths and our journey have led us too.  Every single stop, and every single state on this trip has prepared us for our destination.  We feel like  home is a destination, just like the fig tree should be in Santa Barbara, California.  Things worth stopping for and appreciating in our lives may not things on a tourist map, or that you have to pay for.  And finding a house may seem like something ordinary too…to most people.  But I can tell you this.  For us, this is probably the most exciting part of our journey.  And the most scary.  Because it feels like it will never happen.  Is a house just a FIGment of our imagination?  The fig tree showed us we can do it. Why? If a fig tree can be moved, uprooted, and grow into the world’s largest fig tree ever, maybe our life will be the best ever.  We have to keep watering our hopes and Girl Person says we might even need to put a fence around it to keep focused.  Because we can do this!

This fig tree, even though it is over 100 years old, still has fruit, is still beautiful, and continues to grow.  It also still keeps growing fig cakes.

At least my fig tree will.  FIGments of imagination?  I think not. Sweet.  Chewy.  Gooey.  Where I plant my fig tree by my pancake tree will be the best place ever. Now, we just need to find it.  Thank you fig tree.  Thank you for being there when people decide that you are important enough to visit.  You are the biggest, the largest, the prettiest fig tree in the whole wide world. The important things in our lives will always be there for us too.  When we are ready to appreciate them.  Make the time.  Life is sweet.

-Deputy Digby Pancake

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