After and Before

Thursday, December 29, 2022

The orange paint showed up a couple months ago and the trees started disappearing this week. I saw (ironically) the Sav-a-Tree company taking down trees up the street earlier this week and knew they were on their way our way.

We watched the professionals do their job really well. While we were standing there watching, we noticed that the tree across the cul-de-sac that had had an orange ring painted on it now had black paint covering the orange. The tree guys cut a tree on the corner, then by-passed the re-painted tree and came to our tree.

Mmmm. Who painted the tree? It doesn’t make sense for the home owners to do it – to save their (most likely diseased) tree – does it? Keith thought they were watching the tree guys suspiciously (we were also creeping on the tree guys. None of us are 4-year-old children who are usually fascinated with big trucks and power tools, but we were all watching). But why would the city paint the orange circle, then change their mind? That seems unlikely, too. Graffiti artists with tremendously little skill seems a possibility, but, again, unlikely. I’m curious (but it will fade in about a minute, because I am never curious. I just figure it happened and it’s done and I’m satisfied. I would make a terrrrrrible scientist. What are the stars? Mmm. Shiny bits in the sky. Done. Keith will be out roving for information as soon as the weather is warm and he can bump into somebody with possible facts).

Our friend, Tom (of Tom and Louise), recently took down 41 ash trees in their yard (people have told us our yard is like a park; I think of their yard as a national forest). Tom did it while the trees were bare – no dealing with all those leaves – and they will have months to get used to the missing-ness of the whole thing while they were not providing shade anyway. It has helped a little bit with the transition.

I wonder if we will notice the missing tree very much by the time spring arrives. It was on the north side of our house and primarily shaded the driveway (I think) (we’ll find out in the spring if I am wrong, won’t we?). It gave off a LOT of leaves in the fall, which I will not miss raking. The grass under it never grew much – very sparse and rarely needed cutting. Maybe having to get over there to mow will be noticeable.

We have a neighbor who was upset that the city planted so many of the same kind of tree 40 years ago when the neighborhood was built. Huh. They did it. It’s done. Now they are gone. Except for that one across the street.