“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ~ Lao Tzu
In the center of campus is this enormous fossil of a Lycopod tree stump. 300 million years ago, give or take a few hundred thousand, the tree was encased in mud. The tree rotted, but the mud hardened and retained the shape of the stump and roots, including the bark texture. Eventually, the mud turned to coal and sandstone. Fast-forward to a 1930’s Harlan County Kentucky coal mine. Removing the coal from beneath the sandstone fossil caused it to fall out of the roof (this is called a kettle bottom). The manager of the mine had a special railcar built to haul the fossil out of the mine and put on display in Kitts, Kentucky. In 1961, it was given to the University of Kentucky as you see here. There’s always someone looking at it. What a great way for children and adults alike to learn about and experience something interesting. This is just one reason I love working on a college campus.
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