…and your husband is sitting right next to the door, will he hear it? In the case of my husband the answer is no. I heard it though, it sounded like a long string of firecrackers going off followed by a cacophony of dog barking. (Don’t worry, the dogs are fine. They were either far enough away or moved fast enough.)

The tree suffered a couple rounds of ice storm damage over the 9 years we’ve lived here that left the trunk split. The wet winter and many rounds of freezing and thawing this past winter opened up the split even further and I knew its days were numbered. We were fortunate that a friend came out and cut back the half that would have taken down the fence a few weeks ago. The remaining section was kind enough to fall right between the deck and another tree where it could do no damage.

SW is not happy over the loss of this tree. (Neither am I, but I’m keeping up a brave face.) He doesn’t like change of any kind, and this tree was the major source of shade for our deck and the back of the house. To make up for the loss, we’ve taken a bunch of cuttings to root, and several other friends are interested in giving a go at growing one. It’s very reassuring (to both of us) to think of the offspring of our lost tree taking root at the homes of so many friends.