Good bye old maple

Sadly, we had to have the large old silver maple next to our house taken down from our parkway. Falling branches have caused us to lose utilities, but more worrisome were the hollow areas at the joints of the large branches.





Still, it was just torture to see such a large old tree go down. I couldn't help but think of those that had cared for it over its life span, the bird and critters who lived on it and the shade it gave us.

The house looks bare and seems lonely without the tree.

Here you can see some of the hollow joints that supported massive limbs.

The kids were thrilled by the large machinery and excitement. They helped me bring lemonade and cold bottled water to the workers. Mom watched the entire processes, taking breaks for her soaps of course. It was a scary job and the workers had to navigate power lines. The logs were so huge that they had to cut them so that the crane truck could lift them properly.

Ben perches on a log for a photo.

Jay and Anna sit on the base with a giant saw. He wants me to print the picture so he can show people how he cut down the tree. We still have the stump so I am will take the kids out to count rings this weekend. I am guessing the tree was planted some time before the civil war. John thinks it is only as old as our house or 103 years old. We shall see.

My next task is to research replacements trees. Perhaps it will help me through my tree grief.