Dear old friend

 

The Silver Maple across the street has always been a part of our landscape ecology. It was already large when we moved here in 1980. In the summer, that huge biomass of leaves filters the hot afternoon sun, keeping our house cooler.

Beautiful in every season, the tree gives us a natural view from the living room and front porch. On every other side, we just see other houses.

For years I used the fall leaves to mulch the flower beds, hauling many carts over from across the street. I stopped doing that recently, because there were too many dead branches on the ground to rake. 

The tree is struggling (an arborist euphemism for dying) through a combination of neglect, old age and climate change. The summers are hot and dry now, and the schools don't irrigate their landscaping.

Yesterday I noticed these fallen branches, and it's just a matter of time until someone decides the tree is a school hazard and has it removed. That will be a sad day for us.

In other news-- John mowed and the garden still looks nice. The rain has greened everything up again, and in the Northwest we call this our second spring. Speaking of real spring, I planted 50 tulips and 25 hyacinth bulbs this week. My aching back.