July 6 - Up with the Sun

July 6 - Up with the Sun, originally uploaded by Jesse_Laird.

This post is a bit sad. We're having four trees removed tomorrow morning, and this is one of 'em.

In particular, this tree is outside our bedroom, and since it's a big, old tree, has probably been here since the first owner of the house. It's been our steady sign of the seasons in the 7 years or so we've been in this house, filling our room with a soft green glow in the spring, changing colors briefly for the week-long Central Oregon fall, and catching the snowflakes in the winter.

Unfortunately, years of going un-tended have left it leaning heavily over our neighbors's yard (and now, house). So the leaves we lovingly watch grow in the spring end up their yard each fall, and I feared that someday the whole tree would end up there as well.

So sad as it is to see this one go, I think it's the right choice -- and better a safe goodbye than an insurance claim for the neighbor because I was nostalgic about an over-grown tree.

We'll be planting new trees in this place, and this will be my reminder to keep them maintained so that they can lead long, happy tree-lives.