At the edge of the driveway stands a row of lovely old maple trees. Unfortunately, the one nearest the house door has a hollow trunk. We considered having the tree taken down by a professional last fall, but decided to leave it for one more year because the tree crown was still leafing out well.
Yesterday, the decision to remove the tree was taken out of our hands. The thunderstorms of Sunday night were followed by a powerful wind on Monday afternoon. As I was standing in the kitchen, just starting work on some baking, I heard a loud crack and made it to the kitchen window just in time to see the huge branch rip from the tree and crash to the ground. Fortunately, it missed the house with the exception of a small amount of damage to the roof. I was relieved both that the branch missed the house and that I no longer have to be responsible for taking down this majestic old monarch. The removal of the branch will open up the canopy for an oak sapling that has been waiting in the shadows. Now it will have its day in the sun.
Willow House Chronicles 