If Trees Could Talk

One of the favorite things in my small town is the large number of old trees that dot the area. The cemetary and school yards are full of huge old historic trees. They show the first sign of buds in the Spring, they show the first tinge of orange in the Fall. They provide much needed shade at funerals and at Decoration Day. They shade the cars in the prking lot at school. Until about six years ago, there was a field on the main corner in town with a beautiful grove of Walnut Trees in the center. I took DS there when he was little to sit under them, pick up walnuts and try to hug the tree - he and I together couldn't even begin to get our arms around it. One day we happened to be driving past the corner and much to our dismay, they had cut down these magnificent trees. DS was about to turn five at the time. He asked me "Why, would they DO that?" I told him they would most likely build a store there so they had cut down the trees. We walked around the piles of limbs and salvaged a piece of Walnut for our rock garden. He stood on the stump of the tree, stomped his foot and shook his little fist as he said, "I will NEVER shop at this store!" A week or so later we passed by the barren corner and I noticeda sign had been erected at the street front: "COMING SOON: McDONALD'S." I read this to DS as he looked out the window at his corner that he remembered so well, once chock full of beautiful Walnut Trees, but now just a dirt lot. Then, in a very timid voice he said, "Well, you don't really shop at McDonald's." Ah, my little Nature Lover, turned bad by the lure of a Happy Meal.

They are widening the highway that runs through town and adding in a turning lane. By doing this, many old trees have gone by the wayside. When they built the new high school about ten years ago, the PTA and various student organizations planted trees in honor of and in memory of diferent people. About a month ago, we watched as giant machines swooped in and knocked those trees over like they were sticks, picked them up, put them in a dump truck and drove off with them. Now there is no shade, no beauty, nothing. Oh, they will plant a neat little row of Bradford Pear Trees in their place, but you cannot replace a 10 year old tree with a sapling.

Yesterday we drove by the school and we were so saddened to find that they had cut down an immense tree. It is honestly one of my very favorites. DS and I admire it every day on the way to school. In the Spring, it buds first, in the Fall, the leaves turn a brilliant orange and in the winter it has twisty turny branches that look like a Halloween tree. It is beautiful. Or, rather, it was beautiful. I always have my camera with me, which has proven to be a good thing once again. The girth of this tree was probably over four and a holf feet across. It just makes me sad that such a gorgoues old tree would be cut down just to make room for three or four more parking spots. A shame.

I know that progress is necessary and buildings must be built and highways must be widened. But, sometimes I think that peopel take the easy way out and just knock things down rather than going around them or working it into the plans. I would liked to have shown my grandchildren trees that were 150 years old and not trees that they are just now planting.