Our Tree

 When we first moved into our house way back in January 1991, we were so happy to have a big beautiful shade tree.  It was a bit of a bummer that it was a Siberian Elm, but with no A/C or swamp cooler, that tree was our shade and comfort during the hot summer months.  Over the years it grew a lot and we became loved the our bird and squirrel sanctuary.  Unfortunately, several years ago our tree began to die.  Each year we would trim back the dead branches but we believed it would bounce back.  Then, a hard freeze in November 2014  and a late freeze in May 2015  finally did it in.  It was with heavy hearts that we contemplated removing it.  Finally, the tree trimmers insisted that it was a hazard and it needed to come down.  It was a several-stage process and by late March we got a new tree!  This one is a Honey Locust.  It is already 18 years old (and 18' high) and we are so excited to welcome it to our home.  The birds already love it and we're excited to see how it leafs out.  Now, if the hot weather would just wait a few years for it to really grow up! (Below are some pictures of the removal of the old tree and the planting of the new one.  Click on an image to see slide show).