Farewell to an oak tree

11 years ago

We've been sitting at our breakfast table trying not to cry as we watch the tree man dismantling our 45 year old oak tree and the neighbor's big old oak tree which blew over against ours in the last storm. The tree people here are desperately trying to get down as many imperiled trees as possible before the big storm moves in this evening, so they're mostly working in one man crews and not taking time to lower the cut limbs with a rope. I'm watching BIG limbs crash onto my oak leaf hydrangeas and may apples and clethra and a couple of small dogwood trees. Oh, well, I tell myself, they're just plants. Most will grow back - eventually - and ones that don't will just leave space for some new things. Such in the life of a gardener. Mother Nature will have her way and I'm thankful that the trees didn't fall on our house in the last storm and that the man's getting them down before the next one.

Comments (7)

browneyedsusan_gw
11 years ago
Alice,
I am sorry you lost your old tree- it is a part of the history of your home and family. I planted a tree each time I gave birth to a child, and it would make me sad if I had to cut down any of them.
I hope you are planning to come to the swap-it wouldn't be the same without you. Please look at my list and see if there is anything that will fill the void in your garden.
Susan.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years ago
Oh my, it's just a sad tree-day. Sympathies!! A friend in OH called earlier mourning the loss of her ash trees, about 8 of them in a pretty small yard, which were killed by EAB and had to come down as they were tall enough to be dangerous in a neighborhood back yard.

Do you also now have much less shade?
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alabamanicole
11 years ago
So sorry you have to watch them go. :( 45 years is so young for an oak tree to lose it!

There's something about oaks. When my neighbor lost her big 200+ year old tree a year ago she and I both cried -- and it still leaves a big hole in the neighborhood, especially since I had to cut down 2 big ash trees the previous year, too.
outsideplaying_gw
11 years ago
Oh my, I'm so sorry! I don't recall exactly where you live, but know that there were several trees down in the Huntsville area last Thursday. I would be crying too! When I now see your time tag, I realize that the tornadoes moved in about an hour later. I hope you didn't have any further damage from those. I was driving home (south) from Redstone around 4:15 and hit a wall of rain and had to come to a near stop because I couldn't see. Scared me to death, but fortunately there was not much wind. About 15 minutes later I heard about the damage that hit Lily Flagg and Whitesburg.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
Oh, I'm so sorry. It really hurts to lose an important tree.
drippy
11 years ago
My sympathies, Catbird - oak trees are very special, particularly when it's been a part of your life for so long. Hope you are safe from the storms that followed.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
...the most appropriate place I could think of to say goodbye to the Toomer's corner oaks. No football loyalties one way or the other (except to say "Go Bucks") but this is a very sad thing even to me!

Are there many sadder sounds than a chainsaw? Misty!