I Think That I Shall Never See...

The oak is gone.  Not just the obnoxious dead limb that fell to earth a couple of weeks ago, but the entire majestic tree.

*sigh*

The gaping hole left in the canopy of our backyard eco-system is overwhelming.

I can't bear to look at it.

The neighbor's rationale was that other limbs could have fallen just as easily as the first.  They said removing the tree would give them a good night's sleep when the wind picks up during a storm.  That's what they said.  Their eyes gave them away, though.  Their eyes said "Woo Hoo!  No more leaves to rake!"

150+ years of building ring after ring in its trunk and with the buzz of several chainsaws the monumental oak came down during two long days.

The tree is not forgotten, though.  I will remember breezes rustling the leaves in the spring and the crunch of those same leaves underfoot in the fall.  I'll recall its striking silhouette against the stark winter sky and those huge limbs capped with snow.  I'll miss the cooling shade of leaves the size of dinner plates.

I'll remember these things every time I see the piles and piles of wood still stacked and strewn over my neighbor's entire backyard!  I'll struggle to remember these things when all manner of varmints move in to the wood piles.  I'll remember and I'll look up the statute of limitations on tree murder...