Behind the Designs: Who Decorates The Tree On East Road?

Penny Sherman is not surprised that someone would inquire about her tree in front of the house she shares with husband Maurice. She is, however, surprised it took this long. “We’ve been doing this almost seven years, about as long as we’ve lived here," she said. "We thought someone would have asked us about it a long time ago!”

The tree notch seen so prominently near the corner of East Road and Route 36 in the Belford section of the township, in the shape of a heart, provided Maurice with immediate inspiration, as did a pair of old waders found in the garage. “We found the old waders that October, stuffed them with paper and hung them out of the hole for Halloween," Penny said. "That was our first (decoration).

“It was funny because it looked like someone was actually stuck in the tree. We’ve been doing (decorations) ever since then.”

The current design, a winter theme with two snowmen, has remained in the spot for a while. “With all the snow this winter, we weren’t able to get to the tree to change it," she added. "We managed to put some hearts on the snowmen to tie it in with Valentine’s Day.”

The other reason for the delay in new designs directly involves Maurice, the tree's chief architect. “He will be going through triple-bypass surgery,” Penny explained.

Art is something the husband and wife team share between them. Maurice is a teacher of photography at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. Prior to his teaching duties, he was a professional painter.

When Penny is not freelancing as a court reporter, she teaches piano from her home. The odd shape found in the tree’s face proved irresistible, and soon they were adorning it as a decorative niche. “We saw that heart and thought it was just so cool,” Penny said.

How the shape came to be is a mystery. Penny assumes that someone carved a heart into the bark while the tree was young. As the plant grew, the small carving expanded and sunk in a bit — enough to become a framing device for the Shermans’ creativity.

“We’ll soon be doing our spring one which will be a bouquet of flowers with some sunflowers in it, which will really stand out,” Penny said.

The neighborhood reaction to the projects has been uniformly positive, but the one that always grabs the most attention seems to be the Shermans’ summer design. “In summer, we’ll put in an underwater theme and we’ll use a (clownfish) that looks like Nemo (from the movie Finding Nemo)," she said. "The kids always love to see that.”

Penny’s personal favorite, which she was unable to make happen this year, is their usual Valentine’s Day arrangement. “Our Valentines one is the one I love the best," she said. "We fill it with red roses.”

There is a distinct note of regret in Penny’s voice when she speaks of not being able to accomplish it this time around, but seems equally determined that when Maurice is up to the task, the next presentation will more than make up for lost time.

Maurice’s surgery will begin at 11:30am Monday morning. Penny says that his spirits are good and he is prepared for what is to come. “He’s laying there waiting (in the hospital), feeling better that he will feel when the surgery is done," she said. "It’s a six-hour procedure, and it’s going to be a painful recovery, but I’m sure he will be fine. He’s a strong guy.”

Middletown Patch wishes Mr. Sherman a quick and complete recovery and looks forward to his next tree design. “You’ll know he’s back 100 percent then,” Penny concluded.