Good Bye, Old Friend

This week I bid a sad farewell to a dear old friend.

At least eighty years ago, my father bought half a dozen young Manitoba Maple trees from a traveling salesman. In those days, he didn't know that Manitoba Maples are considered weed trees in Ontario. Anyway, he planted them around the lawn perimeter and they soon grew into lovely shade trees. We kids (especially me) loved to climb their sturdy, low branches and one tree held an old fashioned rope swing. Another one supported a clothesline.

Decades passed and these soft maples matured and aged. The Ice Storm of 1998 damaged all of them and felled some of them. Eventually all but one toppled. Happily, not one of these gentle giants ever damaged the house when they fell.

Of course, being Manitoba Maples, they produced thousands of Maple keys. While most seeds were eaten by squirrels and many seedlings were curbed by lawn mowing, ample descendants of those original trees live on. 

The sole surviving tree that Dad planted so long ago stood just south of the house, in perfect view from my living room couch. I so enjoyed watching the tree change costumes with each season. It's shade helped keep the house cool in summer and it's cavities and a large roost box/bird house sheltered screech owls in winter.

My Manitoba Maple (right) with it's younger hard maple cousin.

The Screech Owl box attracted tenants, both feathered and furred.

Heavily decayed on it's south side. 

The west side was a popular target for woodpeckers.

 

The tree was getting increasingly unsound but I wanted to let nature take it's course. The old soldier leaned away from and was not a threat to the house. 

But then I started getting 'thinky'. What if the tree comes down in a winter storm and blocks my driveway. Also, I need to hire a contractor to raise the laneway and perhaps add a culvert. The tree would be in the way of construction equipment. Common sense out-ranked sentimentality. I hired a tree service. 

Arborist, Paul, makes the first cut.

The deed is done. 

As you can see, there is still no shortage of trees around.

So after all these years, the new view will take some getting used to. I sorely miss my old friend but look forward to watching the stars in the now expanded patch of sky.