Woman ties more than 100 stuffed toys to 'happy' tree creating inadvertent roadside attraction

By early afternoon on a Saturday, LisaThomsenalready had three people whip into her yard in Rocky View Countyon the southeast edge of Calgary.

They arrive wanting to look at her grand, old willow tree that stands about 4.5metrestall. Its branches arejust as wide.

But it's not the tree that catches theattention of drivers.

They're willing to crank their steering wheels to pull off thebusy roadway into Thomsen's yard, located on Glenmore Traileast of Stony Trail, because the tree is covered with more than 100 stuffed animals.

The colourful critters either hang from, sit tethered to or are stapled on weathered branches sprouting from a huge halo of thin, green leaves.

There are bears, lots of bears:brown bears, white bears, bears with ribbons, big fluffy bears andbears hugging bears.

There are monkeys, snakes, birds, butterflies and elephants. There'salso a black and yellow unicorn orit could be a dragon.

"The majority of responses I get are very positive and I've been told to keep going,"Thomsensaid. "When I'm out there maintaining the tree, I get lots of honks and lots of waves."

Her tree has unwittingly become a roadside attraction, with passers-by using itas a backdrop for photo shoots.

But only the really curious come knocking on her door, as I did.

People stop to ask her questions, and then a new stuffed animal appears, often with a note about their earlier chat.

Originally,Thomsenjust wanted to spruce up the yard to give commuters something to look at when they are stuck in traffic, which she says happens often.

Soshe went to a second-hand store and found a good-sizedstuffed lion. She tied it to her wire fence: majestic and silly. Perfect, she thought.

She returned the next weekend and found a used whale. She hung it upside down from high up on the treeto mimic the way they suspend themselves in the water while sleeping.

Done, she thought.

She was wrong.

"The next day there was a three-foot giraffe standing next to the tree," she said. "And the day after that there [were] some more animals sitting under the tree.

"And it's been non-stop. I get them every day, still, every weekend, still. It's been twoyears."

Now there's a huge Bob Marley banana smilingwith dreads, leaning back on the trunk, an orange stripedNemoresting along the bottom and a droopy Eeyore.

My favourite isa slouching Winnie the Pooh bear, almost sleeping andwedged in tight between two branches.

Families come up to her door with a child's stuffy in hand. A church janitor brought a garbage bag full of treasured teddies that had been donated by the Sunday school class.

They all have a story and they all want to add their gently loved confidante, sleeping companionor security blanketto the tree.

'Happy tree'

But why?

"I just think it means something to them to drive by and see something of theirs hanging on something they find so grand,"Thomsensaid. "Kids are just awe-inspired by this tree. They'll stand there. Their mouths are wide open. "

Many don't even know what it the tree stands for.

"Some find it morbid. Others thought it was just a memorial for a child I may have lost, but it's not," she said."It's not a sad tree, it's a happy tree. It's fun, it's happy, it's whatever."

But some may say it'smuch more than that.

It's rare to find a spacewhere people can pull off life's rushed and hurriedfast lane to take a few moments to remember the joy felt as a child, when everything seemed magical, possible andwonderful.

As the tree grows, so does interest

Most of the donations come from families from the hamlet ofLangdon,driving to or fromCalgary. Others are donations fromas far away as Ontario, Manitoba and B.C.

"I have no idea how they know but it just shows up here," she said.

She says it's upturned her life. Caring for the creatures is a part-time job, and she already has a full-time one.

She talks to the bears, hoses them down and fluffs them back up with a special brush. Some get handwashed.

"I love my tree. I love the fact that most people love my tree, she said. "I think that that's worth it right there: one happy moment in time."

'Animal jungle'

She also welcomes the constant traffic into her yard. As long as they don't cut other drivers off or make any dangerous manoeuvres making their pit stop.

Morteza Babolmorad, an arborist from Calgary, drives up while I'm talking toThomsen. A large bear hanging by his pawscaught his eye.

"Reminds me of an animal's forest, an animal jungle," he said. "It's a beautiful view and it goes with the landscaping."

He has a huge smileas he slowly steps around the tree.

"Anything that makes people happyis good," he said.

After hearing how the tree has evolved,Babolmoradsaid he plans to bring a stuffed animal when he returns.

Thomsenplans to keep nurturing this tree and wants to see it covered from top to bottom.

As long as the donations come, she'll continue to hang them.

"Five years from now, we may look like a real wackadoodle farm," she said with a laugh.

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