Tom, the Listening Tree

Tom, the Listening Tree is a book about a yellow maple tree that stood at the back of the patio at Serenity. Serenity is a tea house-restaurant in Zionsville, Indiana. It is in an old house that has been home to a variety of families since it was built in the 1860's. This house is the second-oldest home in Zionsville. The tea house has been in operation for more than ten years. A windstorm took the yellow maple down in October 2018. The owner of the restaurant said someone should write a book about the tree and what it has heard and seen throughout its long life. I accepted that challenge, along with my two granddaughters who have done the artwork. There were three huge unusual trees on the property that we believe surrounded the house at the time it was built. These are the yellow maple, a Norwegian weeping spruce, and a hackberry tree. The hackberry is nick-named "the GOD tree" because the letters GOD are seen in the root structure. Now we honor and remember the yellow maple in Tom, the Listening Tree.

The author, Ruby Hovda, works part-time at Serenity, usually greeting and seating guests. She is a retired elementary teacher who has taught school in Minnesota, Kentucky, and Illinois. She was married to Gary for 45 1/2 years until cancer claimed his life. They have two children and five grandchildren. After Gary passed away, Ruby moved to Zionsville, Indiana to be grandma to her son's family. Her other books are The Covering of Feathers and Feathers, Faithfulness and Friends. Both books by Ruby Hovda are available on Amazon.com Lily Hovda, 13, lives in Zionsville with her parents, a brother, and two dogs. Grace Fieger, 11, lives in Anaheim, California, with her parents, two dogs, and a rabbit.