This is...well, was a tree in my front yard three years ago. A Yellow Rain. This tree, while messy with beautiful Japanese Lantern-like pods, and red berries when in bloom, was one of the reasons I love the house. The tree apparently has been dying a slow death over the last few years, and after asking the tree guy (my neighbor's brother) to look at having some of the branches that hung over my roof removed, he thought it would be better just to take the whole thing down. So, an hour after I asked for an estimate on some maintenence. My front yard looked like this.
The tree was apparently in very bad shape. It was mostly hollow, according to the tree service guy, and the way it was explained to me (and you will be able to see pictures below that corroberate with what he is saying), it was like if you had a human body and all the marrow was gone from your bonest, leaving only hollow shells for support. He said that one super strong wind (like, say, during a tropical storm), and the tree could have fallen over, crashing into my house, or my neighbor's home. At one point, to make me feel better, I think, he said, very supportively, "This is a good thing. This was hanging over your house like an anvil."
By the time they got down to the stump of the tree, he showed me that the rot had made it's way to the core of the trunk. Eventually, wind or not, the tree would have probably just collapsed and someone could have gotten hurt. Here is a pic of him with his hand IN the stump of the tree, pulling out dirt from UNDERNEATH the stump.
I know I should be glad about the fact that this was taken care of so easily, and with no one or nothing damaged. It just makes me sad. I loved pulling up and seeing that tree when I would come home. And now it's just...bare. My front yard looks horrible. My neighbors were trying to tell me that now I have a clean slate - a new start for my front yard. And that's true - I want to plant an oak tree that will give me lots of shade in a few years, and I have some other ideas including painting the house and learning to landscape purple flowers (well, any color, but I want violets - they're my favorite. Remember that :) ).
By the time they got down to the stump of the tree, he showed me that the rot had made it's way to the core of the trunk. Eventually, wind or not, the tree would have probably just collapsed and someone could have gotten hurt. Here is a pic of him with his hand IN the stump of the tree, pulling out dirt from UNDERNEATH the stump. I know I should be glad about the fact that this was taken care of so easily, and with no one or nothing damaged. It just makes me sad. I loved pulling up and seeing that tree when I would come home. And now it's just...bare. My front yard looks horrible. My neighbors were trying to tell me that now I have a clean slate - a new start for my front yard. And that's true - I want to plant an oak tree that will give me lots of shade in a few years, and I have some other ideas including painting the house and learning to landscape purple flowers (well, any color, but I want violets - they're my favorite. Remember that :) ).A fresh start.
Then why can't I stop crying when I look out my front window?
4 comments:
Taylor, Please tell me this isn't the tree that the elves make their cookies!?!?!
how bad is it that I thought the same thing as Holly?
I'm sorry you had to have your tree taken down. Maybe you can plant a new one? A New Tree for a new Taylor.
I think violets are pretty.
I drove by last night. It is a bit sad to see it gone, but you can make it better!
Now the sun can greet you every morning... Chin up.
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