I love trees

*sigh* I really do. I love trees.

Our street used to look like this. It was like driving through a tunnel of green. Maples up and down the street. We could hardly even see the neighbors' houses across the narrow street!

Even in winter (and early spring), when the trees were bare,
there was just a lot of "tree" out there.

They each have their own personality. You can see what their trials have been.
They keep growing and giving shade and coolness and perches for birds.

Last year, our city had to take our trees down. Something to do with a new water main, which meant tearing up the road and sidewalks and curbs. In order to put new sidewalk and curb in, because the street and curb are so narrow, they had to remove the trees.
*sniff*

The take a back-hoe, dig a shovelful from either side of the tree, knock it down and put it into a dump truck. (To be mulched at the dump, and made available for compost, but still....)
Such an injustice - that a 50+ year old tree can be leveled and removed in about 5 minutes.

It's been over a year, and I still feel naked when I walk outside.

So, not to be a downer, this whole experience vaulted me from tree-admirer to full-on tree-hugger. That's a good thing. I began by seriously studying the choices for replacement tree the city offered. We went with a non-fruiting crab apple (all show, no mess). I began to look for my favorite trees around town that had appealed to me enough for me to actually notice them. I bothered to figure out what species they were, how well they grew here, if they were susceptible to pests, etc.

The trees the city replanted are, of course, baby trees. And they chose varieties that would never get very tall on purpose; our neighborhood still has telephone poles and power lines, and trees growing into the lines is a huge irritation and expense for the city forester. So I want to plant trees in our yard that will someday, long after we're gone, I'm sure, replace the maples that were literally ripped up.

What kind, you politely ask? Well, cranky toddler beckons; I'll finish writing later....