A dear reader sends a sad goodbye to an old friend below. She says, “I’ll miss that old tree. And I just wanted to take this opportunity, maybe in the spirit of the Ent World, to say “Thanks. Thanks, climbing tree…for all the hours of fun.”
I feel I need to give a little tribute here to a family friend who’s going away next week, because sometimes people and things leave our lives suddenly, and we never get to say goodbye.
One of the reasons that Teakwood Avenue became “home” in 1983 is because it’s a nice, friendly old house surrounded by lots of nice, friendly trees. Mostly big old oaks, similar to the ones at my mom and dad’s farm. Big, hulky old trees that have been there probably 100 or so years…they give great shade and a sense of belongingness to this square plot of land on Teakwood Avenue. I’ve even learned when to shut the windows in the spring to keep all the oak pollen outside so that my son, Tim, (and later Squeak, the cat) didn’t erupt with nasty effusive allergy attacks.
But in the front of the house, one near the front door and two on the extra side lot, were big old pine trees, too. The blue spruce died long ago and is now a productive flower bed, and it was sad to see that go because Sara used to love spreading a blanket underneath it and playing there, hidden by its green boughs from the outside world. Somewhere, I have a photo of her at about age 3 poking her head out, just checking…..I love that photo.
But on the side lot, in front near the sidewalk, are two big Norway pines, I think, and over the years, one of them became known to my kids and every kid who visited our house as “the climbing tree.” It’s tall, but it’s also one of those trees that’s been perfect for climbing….branches spaced just so, and branches starting close to the ground, like a stairway to the very top….such that Sara used to climb ALLLLLL the way to the top (a flash of pink or purple amid the greenery at the top) and Tim would follow, trying to see who get the highest…yelling down at the neighbors from up there…hiding from the world, thinking no one would see. They took their dolls and ropes and balls and trucks and toys of all kinds up into that tree. They taught their friends how to climb.
I loved that tree.
But over the winter, it died….the branches started curling up at the end, and it turned brown and then browner and then brown, until only a few pieces of green still exist at the top, and most of the pine cones have fallen off.
Not sure what did it in, although a fungus that’s killed other pines in the neighborhood is a prime suspect. Last year, Richard and I spent most of the summer ripping out a vine that seemed to have wrapped itself around the base of the tree, and it really seemed to enjoy the new breathing space.
At least until it died.
So next week, the guy from Hilltop Tree Service will charge me $350 to take it down. I’ll miss that old tree. And I just wanted to take this opportunity, maybe in the spirit of the Ent World, to say “Thanks. Thanks, climbing tree…for all the hours of fun. Thanks for teaching my kids climbing skills. Thanks for being a home to nests of robins and chickadees and sparrows and the occasional owl. Thanks for the pine cones at Christmas and the occasional scent that reminded me of Maine.”
I’ll miss that tree.