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I'm not one to be afraid of storms, in fact, I rather enjoy the drama of an ominous sky, and claps of thunder that reverberate off the limestone Scioto River basin behind the house. But this storm scared me. It roared through and was gone in the space of just a few minutes, pulling up large trees by the roots along a mile stretch of our road.
I have a certain spiritual connection to trees, and hate to see one, especially this old, come down. I love to place my hands on a tree and feel the peace and strength it exudes. This wise one was about 100 years old, since I counted nearly 96 rings, which means it was here even before the house was built in 1927. I'm sure it will be proud to keep Willow Manor toasty-warm for several winters to come.
As the poet said, 'Only God can make a tree',
probably because it's so hard to figure out
how to get the bark on.
Woody Allen
awww...sad..i love trees as well...and to lose one so ancient...i bet it carried many a story in those rings...
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a good storm too! Pity about the Old ones though. Perhaps the Graces saw fit to make space for the new..
ReplyDeleteSpace for the new. Yes, I like that.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a loss of a lovely tree! (Loved the Allen quote btw.)
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the tree.....are you going to plant one to take its place?
ReplyDeleteoh, how terrible to lose a tree. I feel about them the same way you do. a lot of the my last body of work was about the destruction of trees in the neighborhood to make way for lot line homes. the big hurricane before the most recent one took out 7 trees in the park at the end of our street. you could see the path of the tornado by the downed trees.
ReplyDeleteSad to lose a tree like this. Such a majestic creature.
ReplyDeleteit is sad to see a tree go...but how fitting it will now keep you all warm...circle of life
ReplyDeleteThat is sad, but as you said, it's gonna keep you all warm for a long time! Hope you are having a great week!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the loss.
ReplyDeleteyep
ReplyDeletetrees are fascinating.
when they leave our homes,
for what ever the reason.... .
it can be a sad experience to lose a tree. i know. i lost a big one next to the house....and things never felt the same outside where it was. xx
The problem with pine trees is that their root systems tend to sit on the surface (as can be seen in the photo). They're always the first to fall.
ReplyDeleteAs for burning pine wood; be careful. The resin sticks to everything. Here we burn only oak and chestnut. Very sad to see an old tree downed
Oh that is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteWe lost a giant old oak tree in an ice storm years ago. We called it the witch tree because of the way its outstretched branches looked. It had a large opening at the bottom where our duck sat on her eggs. I hid some tiny china dishes in the cavern for some future child to find. Now, the child will have to move the giant trunk that imploded to find the dishes, but I hope they do find them someday. And, its thunderous fall was earth shaking.
ReplyDeleteOh my god -- you've covered it all, here. The deeply spiritual and then the sorrow of trees lost and then that rib-splitting quote of Woody Allen's. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt Will Keep You All Warm & Dry In Future Storms.Nothing Is Ever Wasted.
ReplyDeletetess, it's tough to lose trees - especially the older ones - but they return in some form, to the environment they came from. it's the connection that gets broken. steven
ReplyDeleteThat first image is fabulous! I second the suggestion that you plant a new tree to take its place.
ReplyDeleteIt is always sad when a tree comes down - were there any cones on it with seeds in - if so maybe you could grow another one. I grew a rowan from a berry and it is now about four feet high and gives me great pleasure.
ReplyDeleteLosing a great and familiar tree is like losing a friend. But, as you suggest, this one will bring warmth to your home for a while yet.
ReplyDeleteA fallen tree like that always reminds me of the Ents... very sad.
ReplyDeleteWe have had high winds here in Georgia, and they have felled too many trees to count.
I loved your use of the fauxcabulary word "embiggen" under the picture of the tree. I found an interesting discussion of its etymology here:
ReplyDeletehttp://kottke.org/07/06/embiggen-cromulent
I love trees and I live in a forest. Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree makes me cry.
So sad that the tree's long life was so suddenly cut short. I know the feeling. I grew up with two a hundred years old linden trees next to my parent's home. One was felled by the winds of a thunderstorm, narrowly missing the house.
ReplyDeleteMay this song carry a bit of comfort:
Cecilia Bartoli singing "Ombra mai fu". Here is an English translation, from Wikipedia, of the lyrics:
"Ombra mai fu"
"Never was a shade"
Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never bother your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.
A shade there never was,
of any plant,
dearer and more lovely,
or more sweet.
it is bittersweet. the dying and birthing..
ReplyDeleteI have a few walnut trees in my backyard. The land was once a walnut grove. My largest and oldest walnut tree it so beautiful with its curvy elbows and towering presence in my yard. I love that tree. I had an arborist come take a look at it right after we moved in and he said that it needed to come down. That it would survive five more years. Well it has been eight and it is flurishing. It is my favorite tree and the only way I will ever let it come down is how your tree came down. I am sorry you lost your tree. That is so sad to me. They are magnificent.
ReplyDeleteMerisi, I adore Ombra mai fu and Cecelia Bartoli. I just posted this to my Facebook wall. Thank you, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Tess. I have an affinity with trees... perhaps with all flora and fauna.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago a micro-burst hit our little plot of land where nearly a dozen fruit trees basked in the summer sun, just short of ripe. Within minutes all that stood were three foot trunks of apple, peach, apricot, plum. Branches, leaves and fruit, destroyed, laid like compost's beginnings throughout the neighborhood. Oh! the mighty power...
I'm not sure you want to burn pine... the sap builds up in the chimney, I think and can cause a buildup of stuff which can catch fire... Look into it. I know growing up, all our wood sat for a season. Maybe it is just the "frees" which isn't good. Probably OK for a campfire but it might "spit" a bit... Thank goodness it was the tree that was disturbed and not the lovely Manor!
ReplyDeleteIt was a mighty tree and it will be missed. It made such a lovely shade on the driveway. But, as Tony so eloquently said, "nothing is ever wasted". Love that : )
ReplyDeleteFor every tree that I have to remove, I plant at least two. That way the future owners of the Jarvis House will have shade, and birds in nests. Cheers Lori
ReplyDeleteThere has been some wild weather this spring wherever we live...I feel a kinship to trees too and enjoyed this homage to a stately one...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took a picture--it will be one more story that goes along with the Manor for posterity. And I like the notion that it will help warm you come woolly-socks weather. I'm with you--I have a healthy fear of tornadoes after I saw them come thru here in '96. It was incredible damage all over, and I have since been scared of hurricanes.
ReplyDeleteWe are rich in trees on our farm -- but I still hate to see some of the grand old ones fall.
ReplyDeleteBesides being majestic, trees make important contributions to the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you lost one of the old ones. But as Cro Magnon has pointed out, some have their root system close to the surface. And maybe, like Lori, we should plant two trees or every one which comes down.
Blessings and Bear hugs in a reflective time.
So sorry for your loss :(
ReplyDeleteIsnt it amazing something that takes so long to grow & last year after year can come down in a moment.
Makes you cherish what we do have while we have it.
Tess, I have a real love for trees. Mother Nature knows what she is doing though. We humans just happen to be in her way so much of the time. Be thankful that no one was hurt and that your home survived. I do have huge trees near my home and although I too love storms I stay as safe as I can while the wind is howling and the trees are dancing. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteTerrifying and tragic
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see the exposed roots...what a storm! The cycle of life when you warm your toes at the fire this winter...love the smell of pine.
ReplyDeleteIt's always strangely traumatic to lose a tree to a storm. Something ultimately elemental, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Tess, for the link to my 'Green Man' poem on Dave's Vimeo site.
It's always strangely traumatic to lose a tree to a storm. Something ultimately elemental, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Tess, for the link to my 'Green Man' poem on Dave's Vimeo site.
ReplyDeleteAh, you only quote from the best.
;^)
That is sad but glad to hear that you are safe, it could have been so much worse.
ReplyDeleteIf you leave some of the timber to rot it will provide nutrients and support for many other creatures and plants life. That way its life force will continue.
I thought that was an amazing closeup of a piece of cake. Shows where my mind is at... sheesh!
ReplyDeleteP.S. The song "Ombra Mai Fu", suggested by the lovely Merisi, is also one of my favorite songs of all time, featured in one of my favorite movies of all time, "Dangerous Liaisons". I even bought the sheet music so I could play it and sing along (awfully) in my own living room.
ReplyDeleteMarcheline, and I thought I was the only one who was salivating over it. Ombra mai fu is on my top adored list, as well. Sigh-swoon.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the trees. I am the Lorax! When I was in elementary school I had a favorite tree, well it was two trees that grew from a common spot and made a V as it grew. I used to stand between them on the playground hugging one and talking to them. How strange I must have seemed (it was brief and clandestine but still). This post brought back that memory and makes me wonder what other odd bits of memory I have swirling around ready to come to the surface.
ReplyDeleteGary, and here I thought I was the Lorax. Well, then, maybe I am the Loraxess. Love the sweet story of you and the tree on the playground.
ReplyDeleteI always feel sad when an old tree falls. It must have been quite terrifying. I heard about the storms but never imagined you would be affected. The last scary real storm for me was in 1962. My favourite 'sausage' tree was dismembered.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be really good to see the resulting wood pile from your pine.
Tis true. God makes a tree
ReplyDeleteand he also makes thee.
We still have not got the hail damage repaired. Waiting on a check to cover it all from insurance company.
Ken, I'll be sure to take a pic of the woodpile for you. Yes, lots!
ReplyDeleteI love my trees too. We've lost several to drought. They used to have their feet in the water table, and now they can't reach it. Hopefully the rest will survive.
ReplyDeleteNice article, thanks for the information.
ReplyDeletelovely song posted by bartoli..."ombra mai fu".
ReplyDeletethe rose red drop ...
ending the rings that will bring you warmth in the winter.