Gnarly Tree

I told my late husband that he was the only person I knew whose birth date was the title of a play: The Night of January 16th. I never saw the play or the movie (1941) but knew it was a mystery. I decided to put on my Researcher's Cap (aka Google Cap) to find out what the play was about. He would have liked the mystery part but he would not have approved of the writer leaving the conclusion up to the audience. Douglas liked things tidy. Last night in the snail mail came a wonderful program from Summer 2005 of the Nelson Eddy Appreciation Society, the topic of which was The Phantom of the Opera (1943). Now that's a society Douglas would have joined in a New Rochelle High minute. Nelson Eddy sang Gilbert and Sullivan. Douglas sang Gilbert and Sullivan, not to mention oratorio, opera, and heart-melting Scottish songs. Was there ever a song like, "Ae Fond Kiss," a classic "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" ballad?
When I came across this tree (note photo)on a walk in El Cerrito, I felt it was a memorial. It had a small hand written sign, "God Careth for You." I called it Gnarly Tree: Gnarly, as in the shape of the tree. Gnarly, as in the California term for "awesome."
A feature on the sidebar of the blog about The Night of January 16th: Top Chapel Hill blogs. I looked to see if there happened to be anyone I knew. There wasn't. Of course, I'm not on the list b/c I am a Blob.The blessings of woodland habitats be yours this day and don't forget the cake and candles. He would have been 90. Songs,hymns, and patter welcome.