.: Goodbye Beautiful Tree

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Goodbye Beautiful Tree

The first thing we fell in love with when we first saw our home was the big beautiful amber liquid tree at the front of the house.

The biggest danger of having a tree right next to your house is the fact that the roots put major pressure on the house, especially when the tree has reached full maturity and the roots extend under the house, garage and driveway. Over the past year we had begun to notice more and more cracks in the walls of our house. After seeking some advice we knew the roots of such an enormous tree were causing long term house damage. The tree was way higher than our two-storied house and the canopy of it was at least 40 feet.

Our tree in the middle of Winter:

I didn't care too much about deep cracked walls, I just cared about our special tree!! When Tony first made up his mind that our tree had to be taken down I put up a fight for months to try and save it.

But I didn't win, and now our beautiful tree is almost down. I was more attached to the tree than I realized and I have been rather emotional with all the stages of cutting it down. The first weekend Tony and a friend started cutting it down I took the boys out and didn't want to come home. When I eventually did, I tried my best to ignore what was going on outside, but eventually my emotions got the better of me and I had a good cry.

Ashton and I had a good talk about why the tree was so special and why I liked to refer to it as 'MY Giving Tree'.

I explained to him how much joy it had given me. I told him how much I stared at the tree every day from the kitchen window as I did the dishes.

I told him how I had spent so many summer evenings doing stretches/exercises under the canopy of the tree after my evening walks, and how much joy I got from looking up at it.

I told him how much joy we got from having the tree right outside our balcony doors in our bedroom. I loved to lay in bed at night seeing the moonlight shine on it. It was special to be able to lay in bed and look at such beauty only a few feet away. And mostly, I loved to lay in bed morning and night and watch the leaves change colour in the autumn and slowly fall. In spring it was always exciting each day to see the buds finally open and to see beautiful bright green leaves appear, branch by branch. So many nights and afternoon naps I lay on the bed enjoying the tree and thinking to myself that I should take a photo of its beauty, but I never did. Its image from our bed is definitely etched in my mind though. Fortunately, Tony took a few photos of it last month without it's leaves:

Ashton, who always has such a caring heart, came up with a little idea to help me feel better. He secretly gathered a couple of branches, and saw dust from the tree and made a little arrangement on my bedside table. He patiently waited for me to head upstairs without telling me what he'd done. I eventually noticed it, and of course, it put a smile on my face that he had been so thoughtful.

So here's what our tree looks like at the moment (below) - rather sad to see. Goodbye beautiful tree, you will be missed greatly and remembered forever! We thank you for all your joy! The experience of this tree has made me realize this month how wonderful nature is. God created a beautiful world of trees and plants for us to enjoy, and here in NZ, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by so many trees. Next time you see a tree, don't just think of it simply as a tree. Look for it's beauty and realize it's so much more.

Saturday, 4 October.
Tony hired a 'Mega-monster chainsaw' today to finish cutting up the base of the tree. It took him a good 5 hours to work his way through such solid wood. We now have a humongous pile of wood on our driveway which Tony has sold as firewood. Tony also has a very sore, achy back and arms from all the bending over and hard work (the chain saw was pretty heavy!). The final stage is getting someone in to do the stump grinding and to start the process of decomposing the roots (am I sounding like a tree expert!) The whole process has been a few weeks and I'm finally accepting the tree is down, but the weird thing is that I keep imagining someones telling me I've got one day to piece it all back together, just the way it use to be.

2 comments:

Jen said...: I feel your pain, Loretta. Trees are the best plant on this earth. The little shrine on your bedside table is so sweet! :); November 3, 2014 at 9:31 AM
Unknown said...: It hurt so much to cut down this beautiful tree. We received so much joy from it. It is sadly missed.
Tony; November 3, 2014 at 12:55 PM

Funny Comments

Ashton walking into the supermarket quietly whispers to himself: "Please can I have macaroni and cheese, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Ashton: "I want to live with Jesus." Mummy: "Why?" Ashton: "Because he be nice to me and he gives me bread and water!"

Mummy, examining Ashton's legs, and thinking: My goodness, what hairy legs. Ashton, unimpressed with Mummy's examination, pulls away: "Don't touch them. I'm growing Daddy legs!"

Hayden gets upset at Ashton: "Right Ashton, that's it! I'm telling Jesus on you!"

Ashton with a cold: "I'm snotty as a piggy."

Hayden: "The sun is burning my eyeballs."

Hayden: "Mummy, how come your penis is missing?"

Hayden: "I get the bigger piece of cake because my skeleton is bigger."

Hayden (3yrs old) sees me get dressed in the morning and stares at my breasts with a confused look..."What thooooose be for???"

Hayden: "I don't want to finish my pizza, it's got blood all over it."

Hayden: "Ashton hit me in the heart."

Hayden learns the planets at Preschool: Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Penus!

Hayden (shopping with me and whining): "My brain hurts forever because you haven't buyed me anything."

QUOTES

Like the changing leaves of fall...My little boy is now a man.
--Author Unknown

Boys are God's way of telling you that your house is too neat!
--Author Unknown

There never has been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son.
--Author Unknown

Boys are found everywhere - on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.
--Alan Marshall Beck

Something For A Giggle....

I Owe My Mother ....

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"

My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

My mother taught me ESP. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."

My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!