Value

Entry No. 170

These shoots have been the bane of our existence, since we moved into this house 12 years ago. When we moved in they covered our entire back yard, head high, and took three men 7 hours to remove. Since then we've built a deck, but they still spring up every summer between the boards.  Not to mention the thousands of seeds and leaves that fall into our yard. Their source is two majestic 70-foot tall slippery elm trees that sit in our neighbor's back yard.  Don't get me wrong, we appreciate them, they offer a shade and a cool breeze to our yard. They are probably partly responsible for our son's love of birds as they are home to a multitude. Or should I say,  have offered and were home. Over the last three years,   both trees have died off mysteriously and are now awaiting imminent removal by the city at our neighbor's request. We are bummed.

So this afternoon, as I was dutifully ripping them out from our deck, I suddenly noticed for the first time how pretty the subtle rust color on the leaves was in the light.  From there, I realized that this tree was struggling to survive and I wondered if I could start a new one in a pot with one of these shoots. I know it's not logical since I can't replant it in the same spot ,(it's not in my yard), and even if I could it'll take more than my life time to match the size of it's parent tree. The truth is, though, that it took the threat of loss for me to have shift in perception and really see the true beauty and worth of this tree.  I wonder what else I'm missing?