Oct 2013
"We will be replacing the curb and parts of the sidewalk. The trees will need to be cut down along with the one in the middle, We have marked them with pink ties."
Wha????
Two Towering Old Maple Trees
Our trees.
each bordering the sidewalk
but also near the curb
in front of our house
each holding memories
which go back beyond my ability to remember,
and yet each a solid part of my growing up in this house...
When I first met my husband and he would park his 68 Camaro under one of them. I was still climbing trees at 16. My sister carved her name and her bf name in the same tree. They were always there. ALWAYS. Like something you just KNOW is going to be there. Strong. Withstanding any weather for 52 years. Like our dad. Steadfast present trees. Part of our existence. Planted by the township when my parents moved here in '61 just before my birth. Part of me. Us. Our family. Our lives.
Shock. Utter disbelief. Anger. Bargaining. Acceptance? Not yet.
Our beloved Maple trees. Our beloved littler tree, now growing strong. Shade and privacy. Beauty. Sweetness. Life. Seasons. Cycles. Strength. Presence.
Our beloved trees. Two are steady and strong at 52 years are now towering over our house,
beautifying our street along with many others.
A younger tree, a sycamore? ( has those little helicopter seedlings that spin when they come down) , is center stage, next to our mailbox, but towers just the same
next to our mailbox. Leaves are still green.
" Will you also need to remove that one?"
"Yes.: They all have to come down."
" But...but...."
"Has to be done. The roots ruin the sidewalk. We will be replacing the sidewalk as well."
"And will you be replacing the trees?"
"No but you can plant new ones on your property."
"Okay..........thanks."
Shock. Tears.
I vow to the smaller one that I will find a way to pull it up...transplant it just a few safe feet away."
I am broken. I just lost my father who LOVED our property. Loved this street with it's trees.
I am in tears as I type this. I can never tell my mother, who moved away a month ago. She is equally in love with our trees and was always frustrated when the township would come along and cut the branches so they could not touch each other across the road. WE LOVE our canopy of maples and now the ORIGINAL development with the OLD trees, the apple of my father's eye...my mother's eyes will become like a desert. It was one of the only things Mom and Dad had in common, a love of our trees. The shade trees. What else is there?
Oh..... I will take photos. I will take movies. I will save branches. I will fall apart. I will go out tomorrow and buy two Bradford Pears and place them in exactly the same spot except on our side...to distract me from the carnage. I don't know HOW I am going to deal with the trees coming down. It's like taking part of my house down. The sadness comes in waves. It brings back the loss of my dad. It is dad's birthday today. Would have been 85.
I am so glad my father and my mother did not have to see this. THANK YOU GOD for that much. And for the Pear Trees which will flower in the spring and grow tall. Thank you. I am not okay but I will be. We will be. We will plant again. "Restore the Shore Club".
My mom always called our neighborhood 'Shore Club' as that was it's proper name when it was established, but it came to be known by it's current name, Hamtown, later.
Wha????
Two Towering Old Maple Trees
Our trees.
each bordering the sidewalk
but also near the curb
in front of our house
each holding memories
which go back beyond my ability to remember,
and yet each a solid part of my growing up in this house...
When I first met my husband and he would park his 68 Camaro under one of them. I was still climbing trees at 16. My sister carved her name and her bf name in the same tree. They were always there. ALWAYS. Like something you just KNOW is going to be there. Strong. Withstanding any weather for 52 years. Like our dad. Steadfast present trees. Part of our existence. Planted by the township when my parents moved here in '61 just before my birth. Part of me. Us. Our family. Our lives.
Shock. Utter disbelief. Anger. Bargaining. Acceptance? Not yet.
Our beloved Maple trees. Our beloved littler tree, now growing strong. Shade and privacy. Beauty. Sweetness. Life. Seasons. Cycles. Strength. Presence.
Our beloved trees. Two are steady and strong at 52 years are now towering over our house,
beautifying our street along with many others.
A younger tree, a sycamore? ( has those little helicopter seedlings that spin when they come down) , is center stage, next to our mailbox, but towers just the same
next to our mailbox. Leaves are still green.
" Will you also need to remove that one?"
"Yes.: They all have to come down."
" But...but...."
"Has to be done. The roots ruin the sidewalk. We will be replacing the sidewalk as well."
"And will you be replacing the trees?"
"No but you can plant new ones on your property."
"Okay..........thanks."
Shock. Tears.
I vow to the smaller one that I will find a way to pull it up...transplant it just a few safe feet away."
I am broken. I just lost my father who LOVED our property. Loved this street with it's trees.
I am in tears as I type this. I can never tell my mother, who moved away a month ago. She is equally in love with our trees and was always frustrated when the township would come along and cut the branches so they could not touch each other across the road. WE LOVE our canopy of maples and now the ORIGINAL development with the OLD trees, the apple of my father's eye...my mother's eyes will become like a desert. It was one of the only things Mom and Dad had in common, a love of our trees. The shade trees. What else is there?
Oh..... I will take photos. I will take movies. I will save branches. I will fall apart. I will go out tomorrow and buy two Bradford Pears and place them in exactly the same spot except on our side...to distract me from the carnage. I don't know HOW I am going to deal with the trees coming down. It's like taking part of my house down. The sadness comes in waves. It brings back the loss of my dad. It is dad's birthday today. Would have been 85.
I am so glad my father and my mother did not have to see this. THANK YOU GOD for that much. And for the Pear Trees which will flower in the spring and grow tall. Thank you. I am not okay but I will be. We will be. We will plant again. "Restore the Shore Club".
My mom always called our neighborhood 'Shore Club' as that was it's proper name when it was established, but it came to be known by it's current name, Hamtown, later.
