Another Raised Eyebrow

"When your brothers retired
they became 'Chief Cook and Bottle Washer'.
Will that happen at our house too?"

Going, going, gone!

The "bully tree" (named that because the knot holes looked like a face) has been an important part of our lives, our children's lives and now our grandchildren's lives for 35 years.

It stands 60 feet with 3 large tree size branches coming out about 8 feet up. The arborist says it is by far the largest willow he has ever seen.

Saturday evening, while fixing dinner, I looked out the kitchen window. Something looked real strange. We had been out there just minutes before, but there were a lot more leaves along the side fence than usual.

One of the large willow branches had come down.

It missed the pond, the fence and the apple tree.

The tree service came the next Saturday.

with all their BIG equipment and 4 amazing guys.

This "monkey" knew no fear, but did know what to do to lay each piece exactly where it needed to go to prevent any damage to property or people.

Here he is showing off with his under cut.
(Yes, daughters, he was a brown boy and very cute.)

And down the last of it went.

It took everyone's help to move the very bottom pieces of the trunk.

Approximately 5 hours later there was nothing left

but a very very large pile of wood.

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The great tree. Our Bully
by Leanna McCumber Thayer
My childhood was spent playing in the shadow of a giant. A great monster of a tree (We called it the bully) that is in the background of almost every picture ever taken in my parents’ backyard. You could see it from blocks away and it inspired the most wonderful adventures in our very own Neverland. Truly the place where dreams are made and children never grow up. We were and are blest to have such a wonderful place to call our home and place where we are able to watch our kids enjoy the same happy adventures together. But such is life and everything has its end. The tree’s great branches have failed... now for the last time. It is truly the end of an era. Our Giant will be gone and he will be missed by all.

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Good bye old friend, the yard will not be the same without you.