Tending the trees

I think that I shall never see,

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest,

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear,

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

~Written by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

January 20, 2015
Tuesday

Dear Readers,

Around the year of 1956, Henry Seidler planted an American Elm tree in the back yard of the home we now live in. Our neighbor, Betty, remembers the day. It was a little bitty thing but Henry had been assured that it would grow quickly and shade the house from the hot Texas sun. He loved working outside and his backyard soon was filled with roses, a partial fence, and a covered patio.

Fast forward to January 2015: That little sapling did grow, towering over the little casa at 50-60 feet in height. Mom Seidler didn't care much about gardening; and, after Henry's passing, years of neglect took its toll. When we made the decision to move to Michael's boyhood home in 2011, everything (the house and yard) needed a face-lift and work began.

I LOVE being outdoors. In fact, I would much rather live outdoors than inside if I could. It took awhile to complete the main house as some of you will remember from my blogs. The wallpaper paste wasn't quite dry in the kitchen when I was outside thinking of how I could turn the garage into my cottage and develop some gardens.

I remember standing on top of the storm shelter surveying what I had to work with. I looked down and the American Elm looked pretty dern pathetic. I wanted to have it taken down and Michael couldn't bear the thought. I understood his "why" and decided to take the two worst things (garage and tree) and make them my focal areas.

While Lupe and his crew started renovating the dilapidated old garage (completed summer 2012) I started digging and planting. This will be my third year of turning a patch of dirt with a tree in the center into a backyard retreat. Funny how a little fertilizer, care, and water helped the old tree get in better shape. It truly developed into a grand tree ~ the bark a light gray is deeply furrowed with scaly ridges ~the wood is hard, heavy, and tough. Did you know that it was once used for the hubs of wagon wheels, the bark for canoes, and for making rope? Just a bit of trivia there!!

No matter how much the tree improved, we've known it was coming to the end of it's life. Its shed branches in storms; and, not too long ago, a branch fell hitting me in the back, knocking me to the ground. All of a sudden we needed to put getting the tree pruned or taken out a priority. I was sad. I didn't want the tree to die ~ I had come to love it as much as Michael did. We tried having it trimmed (you also read about that in a past blog) and the fellow nearly killed himself as well as putting a huge dent in our overhead structure. When the branch hit me, I asked Michael to please find someone reliable to trim or give us advice on what to do.

Michael opened the local newspaper and was led to call the Triple C Tree Services out of Whitney. I think Michael and I both were white knuckled in concern about actually trying again to have it trimmed but, as it turned out, we didn't need to worry at all. Chris and his crew showed up on time and went about doing what they do best. The Pecan Tree in the front yard now has a beautifully shaped canopy that allows for sun to trickle through to the grass below. The American Elm Tree in the backyard looks a little naked but my oh my, I think this is going to help her live as long as I do. Y'all know how I like "pretty" and the old girl is looking svelt!!

I met the most delightful group of gentlemen today and they absolutely put me as ease about what they were going to be doing. Until Carlos had scaled the tree, I really didn't comprehend how big that tree really is. He looked like a little squirrel sitting in the branches ... he had a hard hat on and had a safety rope but still... I sat there watching and taking photos. They worked as a well oiled machine each man knowing exactly what to do to get the job done and to make sure his brother was safe. Carlos said he loved his job and I believed him. They all had smiles on their faces and pep to their step.

The man at the bottom is standing
on the roof of the house
Carlos is up in the tree
Puts the magnitude of this project
into perspective!

Know what I admired the most? They went wayyyy beyond what I expected them to do. I asked if the limbs they were mulching would be good for my gardens and they not only said yes but piled up the shredded wood for me to use. They raked up THE debris my gardens and not a single plant had been destroyed. About 4:30pm, I stood in the center of the back yard surveying the work that had been done. All of a sudden, I had this burst of energy and began trimming back my roses and taking mental notes about what I needed to do to ready everything for the burst of growth that comes with Spring. Since, I have all the mulch I need, my work will be much easier than in years past.

Tonight, I am feeling blessed beyond blessed. I am feeling a little guilty about the loss of the owl nests and disturbing the squirrels BUT I will feel much better taking my furry kids out at night. In fact, I already feel safer in my back yard!

Tonight I watched the President give his State of the Union speech. Don't you wish that truth would be blatantly obvious? All I'm going to say is that I am asking all my Readers to join me in praying for the deliverance of our wonderful country. My heart has been so heavy for so long.

Miss Dottie

PS  "Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don't see what goes on underground ~ as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree." ~Joyce Meyer

Amen...