Why A Huge Blue Spruce In Casper Neighborhood Is 'Maxine's Tree' | Cowboy State Daily

Casper author Rena Olsen shares her late mother's inspiring story of resilience through the children's book "Maxine's Joy."

Olsen created this touching tribute to honor her mother Maxine Landrum Thaxton, who battled Alzheimer's disease while maintaining an unwavering spirit of joy throughout life's challenges. The book follows Maxine's journey from rural Oklahoma poverty through the Dust Bowl, early marriage, and raising four children. Using a blue spruce tree as a powerful metaphor for resilience, the story shows how Maxine nursed the storm-damaged tree back to health, reflecting her own determination to find joy despite hardships.

• All proceeds from book sales benefit Alzheimer's charities as part of Olsen's philanthropic mission
• The colorful illustrations depict Maxine's joy through a radiating heart that grows and shrinks with life's ups and downs
• The actual blue spruce tree still stands 40 feet tall in Casper, serving as a living testament to Maxine's enduring legacy
• Olsen hopes the book teaches children about resilience while helping families understand the difference between fleeting happiness and deeper, lasting joy