FIRST, here is a music video to play, softly, in the background as you scroll down to read this. ALL the words are not quite right but the sentiment of the chorus is perfect.
I walk up and down my long, dead end street (the equivalent of about three city blocks) 2 or 3 times, every day, all year round. Not very far for an athlete but a good number of steps for me.
I love my neighborhood. And I love to take pictures of the things I see.
I have a favorite tree…
This tree is huge, old, lush and glorious. I love to stand under her when it’s pouring down rain. You can stay completely dry and the sound of those heavy drops smacking her leaves and then bouncing off is amazing!
My neighborhood is changing so much these days. One by one, the older homes are being flattened, in order to be replaced with huge and mostly beautiful new houses.
My son grew up (part time) in the “yellow house”, two doors away. They had a pool, and a kid exactly his age. For a time, when the neighborhood was full of young, single Mom’s, we would babysit each other’s kids and on Friday nights, we Mom’s would have a “progressive” relaxation evening. We’d go from one house to the next, to the next, for snacks, and wine. Among us, we had an outdoor Sauna, a hot tub, a pool and we’d finish at my house on my deck. I had the best view of the sunset.
Other great families have lived in the yellow house too over the years, but…..it has been the next one to bite the dust.
What a back ho and dozer can do to a home on purpose, in just 2 days, is exactly the same thing we see on the news, someone living in Tornado Alley, whose home gets flattened in minutes.
Yellow House…….. gone…
I get this, intellectually, but I have so much judgment about it…the waste, the destruction of usable space, and the loss of history. At least, this builder is big into recycling, re-purposing, and replanting. He (and the owners) saved as many bushes and plants as possible and offered them to the neighbors.
But to me, personally, what is way more painful, is murder of the trees. I know that’s a dramatic (and controversial) way to say it, but what else can you call killing a huge living thing that’s been here since before you were born??
I’ve written about this before…kind of like eulogies, but I think each one of these ancient stately beings deserves at least that much when they are taken down.
There is a young, mystery ecologist on the street and I’m just sure she wrote this sign the day the heavy equipment showed up at the yellow house…and she pinned it to my favorite tree.
but they didn’t….
So disrespectful of her remains…
I will miss her so much, and I am committed to working on understanding the perceived necessity of her demise.
This may be all that’s left of her…
But THIS is how I will remember her!
After the Queen interlude, see if you can put yourself all the way in the following short video…so you can meet my friend. Volume UP! (You may have to scroll up and down while viewing to see the whole thing.)
We are so sorry to see this dear Kathie 💔 In our neighbourhood the trees are all protected and the same thankfully applies to many other streets, as removing them would change the character of the landscape. I don’t know if people who care about the trees can get together and prevent this from happening again. Sending you love from all of us here 💞💜💞xxx
Thank you so much.
Not much hope, at least currently, for changing the power local builders (and land owners) have to decide the fate of these trees! It’s really a money thing, a system I often regret being a part of….sigh.
Thanks for your comment.
Aw well phooey. Progress sucks. The trees, the OLD magnificent beautiful trees are victims to mankind’s greed and vision of a ‘better’ place. I’m sorry to read this. And I mourn with you.
Thank you so much. I feel less alone in it.
It is so painful to look at the pictures of what they did to that beautiful Tree. We watched this happen this last summer to the trees in the lot across the street from us. So we purchased the two open lots adjacent to us so that we (and the woodland creatures that are displaced) would not have to experience that heartbreak again while we live here. Guh. I’m so sorry for your loss, Kathie. What a tragedy.
There should be a “heart” to click on and not just a “like”….
As I started to read your post & saw what music you paired with it, I had this awful feeling that it was about the tree being cut down. So sad! I’d be upset too. But so comforting that you took those photos and video.
A local utility company clear cut a whole row of trees in back of our condo building shortly after we bought it. So much for a nice view. Sigh.
Thanks for your comment. We are in a huge battle locally because the power company wants to clear 5 miles worth of old growth trees on the Green Belt right below us, so they can put in those GIANT power towers. They will have to take the wonderful trees AND there is a dangerously old underground oil pipeline there they will “try” not to damage!!!
One group’s progress is another’s nightmare.
Oh no! That’s awful. Sounds risky on many fronts. Hopefully the local gov’t can stop it. Probably a long shot. But once it’s done, it’s done. Good luck.
I love this article and would like to adapt it for the GreenFriends newsletter if you are open to that. I played around with it and think it will work! I will send you what I see as a possibility.
This came twice?
The first time it showed up as a reply to a photo. I thought I had caught it before it went out. You must’ve gotten that one.I copied and pasted it into the comment box in the main article. So you ended up getting two copies. Sorry about that.
Of course you can use it for the GreenFriends Newsletter! I’d be honored!