Death of a Live Oak

When we moved to Florida 24 years ago, one of the first things we noticed was the beautiful live oak tree.  These trees are plentiful in our neighborhood, and we had a magnificent one in our backyard.  It was very tall, and had Spanish Moss hanging from its huge branches.  The branches seemed to reach all the way to the sun.

Once we became accustomed to seeing these gorgeous trees every day, we didn't really pay too much attention to our live oak until its beautiful branches spread well over our house as well as the neighbor's yard and swimming pool.  This wouldn't have been a problem if we didn't live in a hurricane plagued part of the country, and if the huge tree wasn't showing signs of damage.  One of the most obvious signs: a palm tree growing in one of the large forks between two branches.  Yeah, probably a problem...

The trees guys said that our oak was probably about 120 years old.  I nearly cried at the thought of losing this treasure.  The choice was between letting the tree fall from hurricane damage, possibly wrecking our home and damaging the neighbor's property, or having it taken down by experts.  We chose the latter.  Below are before and after pictures.  In the "after" picture, you can see the palm tree growing out of fork between two huge oak branches.  There was a lot of water and rot throughout our old tree that enabled the growth of a palm tree within it.

It was a very tough decision, and my heart still hurts.  I guess we did the right thing, but I'll miss this evidence of nature's wonders.    

Comments

  1. BillAugust 2, 2020 at 5:05 AM

    People around here completely understand your pain. A couple of years ago, we had a ferocious windstorm and many, many trees were destroyed. Many houses were indeed badly damaged by falling trees. A lineman was struck from behind by a falling tree. They are our friends and they outlast us often but they, too, can be lost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VictoriaAugust 2, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      Bill, thank you for your comment. These decisions are difficult, but I am sure we did the right thing. Seeing that palm tree growing from the middle of the oak branches confirmed that our live oak was indeed compromised. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Isaias is heading our way.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blonde and Skinny and Fake

I admit that I spend more time than I should thinking about how I look.  I don't know about you, but I was indoctrinated at a very early age.  Like many newborns, I had blonde hair at birth.  That blonde hair usually doesn't last.  It didn't last on me.  I don't know exactly when it happened, but I remember that my mother poured peroxide over my hair when it started getting dark.  Now, my mother was an educated woman; she received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1943.  But, even an educated woman apparently wanted her first child to remain a blonde.  For years, she went to the drug store to get some Miss Clairol Blonde formula with which to keep me bright and beautiful (in her eyes, anyway).  I don't know how she found the time, but it must have been quite the priority for her.  This was a woman with a medical practice in our home who was very often called away to deliver babies.  Looking back, I am ...
Read more

A Raccoon Pooped in My Birdseed

We have a covered patio at the back of our house.  It's great for morning coffee, afternoon wine, bird-watching, and just enjoying the peace and quiet.  Our patio has some plants, a small table and chairs, and a supply of birdseed in a large covered plastic container.  The patio is adjacent to our bedroom.    I'm normally a pretty heavy sleeper, but one night I was awakened by a noise outside our bedroom window.  It was coming from the patio.  Of course, I woke up my husband, "Bill, there's SOMETHING OUT THERE!!!"  I ran to the kitchen to turn on the patio light.  By the time I got the light on, the raccoon was retreating.  He/she/it got away quickly.  When we checked the patio the next day, there was no sign of damage.  No problem. The next night, I heard it again; same deal, raccoon got scared and scurried into the night.  The following morning, I saw the damage.  The raccoon had gotten the lid off the birdseed....
Read more

Body image

When I was young, less than 15 years old young, I had a monster metabolism.  I could eat like mad and never gain any weight.  At one point my mother considered having me tested to see if I was harboring a tape worm.  It was that crazy.  One day, everything changed and I started packing on the pounds with no effort at all.  These new pounds were particularly attracted to my thighs, a trend that has continued. Even when I was a tiny, skinny little thing, I was always worried about how I looked.  When all the other girls started growing in all the appropriate places, I remained horrifyingly flat chested. At that age when I thought everyone was checking me daily to see if I had sprouted the necessary equipment, every day was another disappointment.  Adolescence; has anyone lived through it unscathed?  What was wrong with me and my stupid body? I survived the savagery of adolescence, but I never lost the feeling that the world would be a ...
Read more