CASITAS SPRINGS : Ribbons on Freeway Tree Salute Troops

No one is claiming credit for tying nearly 50 yellow ribbons on a lone pine tree along the Ojai Freeway between Ventura and Casitas Springs.

But the silent support of American troops in the Gulf War brings a proud smile to one longtime Oak View resident.

Ruby Blackmon, 81, said the tree has become a symbol of survival and Yankee ingenuity.

Blackmon began decorating the tree during the Christmas holiday about 15 years ago as a message to authorities who had removed another evergreen that was too close to the road.

“I was so teed off when they cut down that little tree, I decided I was going to keep a tree on 33,” she said. “It was no higher than the fence back then.”

As the little pine grew, others began helping in her holiday ritual. In December, someone placed a star atop the 40-foot tree. At other times, valentines, Easter eggs and scrawled notes mysteriously appear and later disappear from the lower boughs.

“The little gremlins do it,” Blackmon said. “They used to call it Ruby’s Tree. But I said it’s the People’s Tree.”

One year, it sported a big sign warning authorities to leave it alone, she said.

However, California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Utter warned that motorists who park or walk on the freeway shoulder are violating the Motor Vehicle Code. Even patriotic violators risk citations unless they have a valid emergency, Utter said.

Blackmon admits that many of the gremlins realize the risk. She also insists that a CHP officer pulled over once and helped her finish trimming the tree.

None of Blackmon’s relatives are stationed in the Gulf, and she said she was surprised by the tree’s new decor last week. “I was so happy to see it,” she said. “Now when I go to Ventura, I see those yellow ribbons glistening in the sun, and it’s a real joy.”

Yellow ribbons are also tied around the trunk of nearly every oak and pine along Ventura Avenue for several miles into Casitas Springs.