Tree Removal…?

Day #10 of 31 Days of Storytelling

My husband came home early yesterday not feeling well.

He just wanted to take a nap.

So I ran some errands and picked up the girls from school so he could sleep.

And the city decided to come and cut down the big maple tree in our front yard.

Not

noisy

at all.

Monte knows me well enough to KNOW
I would need this documented.

Our dog Nigel overseeing the whole process.

It didn't take long at all!

It is their property since it is on the other side of the sidewalk

(even though we have to rake all the leaves each fall).

We lost a big limb from it over the summer during a wind storm.

While we were all outside looking at the big limb blocking the street and our driveway, the city came, removed the limb and sprayed a large red dot on the tree with spray paint.

"It's got to go," the man said all heartless and without emotion.

What?!

I am a tree lover.

Hugger, even.

If you need proof, read this and this.

I don't like seeing mature trees cut down--ever.

I could not survive in a new subdivision with no mature trees!

I really, REALLY relate to the Lorax.

Even though this tree is way, way, WAY older than the almost 14 years that we have been here, it feels  like OUR tree.

I have a sweet memory of one holiday season several years ago when we got a whopper ice storm.

The thick ice snapped a very large limb from the tree, blocking the street.

Monte and I went out to move it and were met by our dear elderly neighbor, Hank

(who passed away a couple years ago). 

We all grabbed a portion of the limb to move it together. In Monte's gusto to lift, he slipped and fell spectacularly since the road was ice covered as well.

Big boom.

Hank gave a pity-filled, "Awww…"

I couldn't stop laughing.

So much so, I almost fell myself.

I looked back at the house and saw my brother-in-law (who was visiting for the holidays) fogging up the window because he was laughing too.

I also remember another time when my dad and Monte were trimming a low hanging branch and it crashed and dented the hood of my car.

*Note:  Move car from under tree next time you trim it.

Not that there will be a next time because IT IS GONE!

Well, kinda gone.

The city sent us a letter saying (in a more official way than a red spray painted dot) that they would remove the tree one day and then the stump another day.

This is what we are left with.

It was a little foggy this morning so there was an
eerie Elephant Graveyard from The Lion King
kinda feel to it. No sign of hyenas…yet.

Looks like there should be a vulture roosting
on top of this "stump".

This is one TALL stump. The city did it to our neighbor's tree too.

It makes me sad every time I look out front.

Or pull into the drive.

And it is downright creepy in the dark.

Especially now that it is October.

I DO HOPE this "stump" becomes a legit stump BEFORE Halloween.

Or we will become the haunted portion of our street.