Every four years or so, the power company sends a crew out to cut a big hole through the three maple trees that reside in our front yard. It’s a necessary evil I guess.
I’ll never forget the first time the big trucks pulled up to our house, it will be ten years this fall. I was twenty four years old and pregnant with Keats. We had only been in this home, our first, for a few months. Never had it occurred to us that the maples would be touched. They eventually bounce back to some extent after being cut, and it had been years since the deed was done. I walked outside and inquired as to what the men’s business was at our house. They told me they were working for the power company and were here to cut our trees. I told them that I wouldn’t permit them to do so with all the authority I could muster. I tried to be nice. They tried to reason with me. I told them to go. Nothing they could say was going to persuade me. A few days later we were paid a visit by the power company and were put in our place. The tree trimmers returned, and they butchered our trees. I cried.
Today was the fourth time in our almost ten years here that this has happened. I cried. Seth ranted. All of us were affected in some way, while some of us (mainly Seth and I) were just flat out wrecked. But it’s done now, and it really is necessary. They left behind the mulch created with our dear trees’ branches and we will return it to the earth around them.
(and yes, we did get an estimate on having the power lines re-r0uted, and no it wouldn’t be affordable or reasonable)
p.s. As a way to be more disciplined about keeping a handwritten garden journal where I will detail all that goes on in my garden, I am planning to write “Garden Journal” posts here on Saturdays–maybe the first and third of the month, maybe all of them, I am not sure yet. I plan to take one photo that encompasses as much of my garden as I can fit, on the first and fifteenth of each month beginning today, March 1. I want to be able to watch my garden progress visually. Those photos will be included in my Saturday posts as well as other photos from the garden. I wonder if anyone might want to join me? I realize that we aren’t even all in the same hemisphere. But, many of us are or will soon be welcoming the spring gardening season. My vision is just a simple journal entry where I will type up what I’ve written in my little handwritten homesteading journal, including the work I did, what I planted, what is being harvested, etc. Photos will be a visual record of sorts. Any and all gardeners out there are welcome to join me and I’ll add a linky widget if there is interest. All gardens are welcome: big and small. My first post will be this Saturday.
p.p.s. Silas has a new trick.
renee ~ heirloom seasons says
I am so sorry for you and your trees. We had a similar thing happen to us with our trees here, and I will be sad about it forever.
steph says
so very sorry about your trees—asplundi (name on the truck) comes routinely to massacre our trees, too; unfortunately, over the years they have hacked so badly that several have succumbed and had to be removed. I think I would be slightly more tolerant if those folks had any idea whatsoever how to prune a tree properly.
i live in a 1923 bungalow–in what was “country” when it was built. Believe me, the house and trees were there long before the power lines were put in. What were they thinking?
Ginny says
Yes, the fact that they don’t know how to prune properly is really upsetting. Our house has been here for over 200 years–it’s not clear to me why they decided to run the power line across our property the way they did. It would have been just as simple to run them differently without cutting up what are now our trees.
Mountain Girl says
Is that a Pebble vest Silas is wearing? It looks like the pattern I have, except no buttons. I’ve been wanting to make it.
Whether it is or not, your boy is definitely super cute in it!
Mia
Ginny says
It’s a milo vest–but the pebble vests are really cute!
abby says
I am excited to join you! I tend to share my garden through the season, but having a planned day to do seems more organized, and a fun way for myself to track.
Sorry about your maples. We watched the fir and cedar trees up our drive, and a couple nearby hazelnut trees get hacked to bits recently. The whole neighborhood of trees and bushes is still recovering (roadside “cleanup”). It is so frustrating!!
donna says
We had beautiful large sweeping pines along the front of our yard. They provided places where my young girls played house for many years – you know how the lower branches die off leaving that precious hollow underneath? For many years I was able to negotiate with the tree trimmers to be selective and careful with the trimming. But then one year we were out and they had come through and sheared off the entire side our pines. They looked just awful. We made them come back and take them down. That was a very sad day. But this year we are hoping to make some raised beds and plant some raspberry bushes where they once stood.
While, I do believe the trimming is necessary – I think the general way they go about it, is not. We live in a world that values efficiency and cost effectiveness over beauty. The quick and easy way wins out over a sense of…of…care, I guess.
Did you manage to grab any of the branches? I love a big bouquet of simple branches at this time of year – those Maple cuttings with their beautiful little flowers would look lovely in a vase.
Ginny says
a bouquet of branches is a great idea!
Elisabeth says
I’m in for monthly garden posting! What a great idea to get organized!
Marj says
Is that boy just standing or is he walking? It’s getting close to a year already! And I know how upset you were with your maples. My landlord (of all people) decided to cut out the mistletoe from our beautiful oak out front and he just cut the entire limbs off the tree. I now have a gaping hole where most of my tree used to be. It is so ugly now and all that late afternoon sun that that wonderful tree shielded us from is now going to shine with a vengence! I too cried. In fact I got all teary eyed today when I took a good look at it again. You’re supposed to cut out the mistletoe, not the tree!!! I can’t believe my landlord did that. I’m heartsick. The power company came around this year here too but they didn’t touch our trees. Leave it to the landlord. Duh!!!
Ginny says
just standing!
Kim says
Been there, except they actually took the trees down, two of them, right in front of our home. It was a terrible day when they took the first one down and when they came back to take the second one I had to leave, I couldn’t bear to watch it. Took me a long time to get over it, and every time we drive up to our home I miss them.
Darcel {The Mahogany Way} says
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I know how you feel about the trees. We had a giant tree that would leave branches strewn all over our yard, driveway, and neighbors yard. Only happened on really windy days and when it would storm. I loved that tree, and was so sad to see it go. At least we only had to live through it once.
It’s great they left you with the remains to spread around.
paula says
this too shall pass…concrentrate on the last photo!
Abbie says
Ginny, I am so sorry about your maple trees. We had the same problem and the trees would look so butchered each time the power company trimmed them. I don’t know if all power companies will do this, but ours (with our permission) completely removed the maple trees and planted two dogwood trees for us. We did not pay for the removal of the maple trees or for the new dogwood trees. Now we have two beautiful dogwoods that bloom for us each spring.
Lisa says
Ouch ~ so sorry for the loss of your tree limbs.
And look at that boy, upright already, it seems he was just born. What magic awaits him.
I love the homesteading garden journal notes dedicated day. Sounds splendid. I ‘d link in.
Just loving your writing Ginny and all the heart in it and clarity in expression, so warm and inviting and real.
Warmly,
Lisa
erin says
Oh wow.
I am so glad I am not alone in being wrecked by felled trees.
We had a mighty old pine right beside our house come down in October. My heart still aches for her and the hole she left.
She had 70 rings.
The garden Journal sounds pretty neat…though we won’t have a garden to speak of until June…ugh. So far away.
e.
Rebecca S says
I cry for your trees. On our suburban 1/4 acre as a child, we had 12 HUGE sycamore trees. At some point my mother decided they and their pollen were the source of all her health woes (they weren’t) and they TORE THEM ALL DOWN. I sobbed. I ranted. I nearly ran in front of the chainsaw at one point. They kept the logs and burned them periodically in our unnecessary fireplace. I would mourn everytime. Then they painted the fence white. It was blinding.
GO GO big boy Silas!
Jeannine says
Look at Silas! Oh, boy. Things are about to change at your house, huh?
Oh, and the trees…that’s pretty devastating.
One day we came home and our neighbors had removed — for no reason we can conjure — one of those little ornamental weeping cherry trees you see here in the suburbs. Well, my children, especially the youngest, were bereft. Why? Why? Why? Why indeed. At least your situation is a necessary evil, but otherwise, why do people get rid of trees?
Wendy says
Oh my, look at that boy go!
I love the garden journal idea!
Teri says
LOVE LOVE the garden idea on Saturdays and would love to be part of that. Dreaming of spring in CO!
emi love says
My nephew K. Is also at this stage. LOVE these huge snapshot moments in time. ~e
Kate says
I know how you feel – I hate to see trees butchered. If they would only do a careful job; send out a an experienced tree specialist instead of a guy with a chainsaw. However, we’ve also had two years where large limbs from trees near our house (considered our responsibility, not the power company’s) knocked out a power line during a heavy wind storm. We actually lost a whole tree one year – completely uprooted after heavy rain and fierce winds. It was one of a pair on either side of our barn doors. These things are always a small lesson in detachment. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Cait says
What heartbreak about your maples. I love the idea about your gardening posts and would love to do the same. Although, I think perhaps ours will start April 1st or even May 1st as up here in Canada we are in the middle of a 6-7″ snow fall that will be here by tonight, on top of the snow we already had! Although, I suppose some photos of the seedlings scattered about the house over the next few weeks would be a decent substitute!
NicoSwan says
We will definitely be joining you with the garden delights this year 🙂
Happy standing-walking adventures Silas!
Amy says
Sounds like a great idea to journal. One more to chase after, look out!
Ellen says
While I know it may be ‘necessary’ as you said, it certainly doesn’t make losing all those big trees an easy thing. I would cry too! I end up crying when I’m so frustrated and angry, no just for sadness. Will you try and plant something new? Something farther from the road? That might help in many ways. Love Silas’ new trick! How cute he is.
Angela says
Silas has a wonderful new trick. I am sorry about your trees. CT’s grid and lot of trees were obliterated during the Oct. storm because 1) the company won’t bury lines, 2) the company won’t maintain the grid and 3) they don’t tree trim reasonably. Now everyone is overreacting. I saw crews cutting trees (medium ones) in medians where there are no lines or anything. Sheesh.
On a good note, I’d love to see your garden journal!
xo
Kristin @ Gypsy Junk says
Oh how we humans effect the natural world around us – I cry too – but good for you mama! Standing your ground, and though it was not the outcome wanted, the children see the example you’ve set. And that is good. Warmly, Kristin
Jennyr says
I love the garden idea! I would love to keep detailed records like Jefferson and all of our forefathers. I think I would learn so much more and have a much more productive garden. Count me in!
Sorry about your trees….we have had to make the decision to cut down a huge magnolia in our front yard before it’s roots start damaging our foundation….it’s already taken a toll on everything around it. It is just too close to the house. I will miss it. I’m replacing it with a maple in a much better location!
CrunchyCatholicMomma says
Aww, I can’t believe how big he is. I remember when you would post his really teenie pictures. I have to endure our mighty oaks being trimmed by the power company every other year too. It always feels like such an intrusion and hey, those guys don’t love our trees like we do. At least they leave you the mulch, I will have to remember to ask about that next time. I have been spending entire days in the garden since last week so I would love to join in. Every year I tell myself that I will keep up with the weeding after summer and every year I do not and am now dealing with a garden which is pretty much hidden from the world by weeds as tall as me. My garden is about the size of yours so seeing your progress will really help to encourage me : )
Sonya says
Sorry about your trees! I like your baby’s new trick. Have a good day.
sara McD says
I think I know how you feel about those trees. We came home after an outing a few weeks ago to find that our village had cut down one of our trees because it was leaning too far into the road. My husband stood staring at the empty place for more than an hour. He grew up with that tree. Sad.
They didn’t even tell us they were coming, nor leave a note that they’d been there. They didn’t even grind up the stump so we could plant anew.
But look at Silas standing! 😀
teresa c says
It’s sad when a tree must be cut. It’s even worse when it hasn’t, and still it gets cut down! I hope your trees will recover soon. Maybe you can plant new ones in another place?
I think it’s a great idea to have a garden day. I’m not going to participate since my garden is a mere container with herbs in the kitchen (coriander, basil, parsley, rosemary and peppermint), but hopefully one day I’ll have a proper one. In the meantime, I look forward to see and learn from others.
Cary says
He’s walking!!!!!!!!!
Ginny says
just standing, but walking will happen sooner than later I’m sure!!
Dawn says
Of all of my children, my oldest son is the most sensitive about trees. A beautiful big farm on the main highway had been for sale for a long time. The town wanted the land and the owners (inheritors) , having had the farm on the market for so long and no interest in the farm really, sold the land to the town. To their credit, the inheritors did have the beautiful old farm house moved to another farm (it was fascinating watching that old house be moved ever so slowly across the field to an adjoining farm). A few days later, the beautiful old trees that had surrounded that house were torn down. My son, who was about nine at the time, watched sadly and his comment was “well, when the oxygen begins to run out, they’ll be the last ones aloud to breathe”. It is just occurring to me as I type this that this child of mine’s favorite book in the whole world as a little guy was “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein.
T @ aseedinspired.com says
I am in like flinn for the garden posts.
I love that you have such great ideas.
Silas is rocking the standing! Just in time for gardening and following his mama around.
T
Gretchen R says
I completely understand. The power company trims our trees every few years but they’re in the back of our woods and we don’t see them and we get some good mulch out of the deal. However, we just had a big meeting with the power company about 2 weeks ago because our farmland is next to the interstate, and they’re putting up these HUGE towers across our land. Right across our land. In about 2 years when I look out my window, I’ll see not just fields, but fields with power towers in them. We drove about 2 hours down the interstate to see actually how big they’ll be, and we nearly cried. They’re huge.
They’re paying us for the land they’re taking, and everything is in accordance with the law. We have no say in it, and it makes me sad. I know progress always has a price, and that’s just the way it is. They’ve sent the representative from the power company to our kitchen table several times to draw up the contract. It’s just sickening to be in the position of “You can either sign this and get paid for the land we’re taking from you, or you can refuse and we’ll take it from you and you won’t get paid.”
Ginny says
Oh Gretchen, that is so difficult. I am so sorry!
Kimberly says
Hi Ginny,
Long time reader…but not usually a comment poster. I am SO very sorry about your trees! that would have totally wrecked me as well. I would love to try to link up to some garden posts….we are really excited to get going on our garden.
Lucy says
I’m sorry Seth suffered so much. It is hard helping children understand this sort of event. We had a lovely hedge at the bottom of the garden that was a former farm hedge, right in the heart of a city, full of mature trees, and it was all cut down for building. It was hard helping the kids cope. I hope Seth can see it positively in some sense – that you have electricty, that trees can benefit from a prune etc. Yay for Silas!
Kelly says
They did this to our cedars growing up. I cried. Only Dad understood why. 🙁
I would love to join in and follow along with the gardn journalling as we are starting from scratch this in what we plan to be our forever home.
anna says
What great timing I have just decided to create our first vegetable patch … so sharing a journal will encourage me to get started ..I love your comment Emma,I have been on this site daily being inspired but yet to have done anything !!!
Autumn says
I am glad to see I am not the only one who cries over trees! The power company did the same thing to us a few years ago, and I was furious to see one member of their crew trying to dig up a small Bradford pear tree that was no where near the lines. My husband went out to ask what in the world he was doing, and the man said one day that tree would have to be cut, so he was digging it up to take home. My husband made him leave it alone.
Then, a few weeks ago, our neighbors who live behind us began clearing the large trees that border the back of our yard. I cried every time a tree fell. I believe my husband thought I was crazy. They are not finished, because we have had a lot of rain, and I just get so upset every time I hear the chainsaw start up. I’m hoping there will be enough small trees left, that we will still have lots of privacy.
Emma says
Hi Ginny, I would definitely be keen to take part in the gardening thing. And I am hoping to be more committed to Yarn Along posts too as my knitting has stepped up a notch, I just never seem to get around to posting…. life just runs away with me at the moment. But gardening, yes! It’s so great to find like-minded people with similar interests to inspire – although I sometimes think I spend too much time finding inspiration and not enough time actually ‘doing’.
Tracey says
Our power company does the same thing too and we have had words! I caught them cutting back my pine trees when there was no need, so I stood in front of the huge truck until the guy stopped. I made them leave, but unlike you they never came back. It might be because I am the only one on this road? Not sure, but I am keeping a look out!
Angela says
Good for you. It’s like they have tree-cutitis or something. It makes me sad but I get it when the trees are too close to lines and houses but when there is no need, step away from the saw. Senseless.
Kate Talley says
I know it seems needless, but it really is necessary to keep trees away from power lines. Including the underground lines that we have no knowledge of. My husband works for Rocky Mountain Power, he is a foreman now, but years ago as an apprentice he had to trim trees and it was heart breaking for him. Please try to have a soft heart, my husband has had 3 co-workers get electricuted because of trees on power lines. Two of them were killed, leaving widows and young children. Unless we live totally off grid, we all use power, and it has to come from somewhere. Believe me , I know linemen can be insensitive, down right belligerent and cruel. They are a rare breed. That kind of behavior is unacceptable, but please know that all of the power company employees are not that way. My love is very tender in nearly every way, and cutting down trees was painful for him. He was just doing his job.
I am not criticizing anyone, I promise I’m not, I just want to educate and share a different perspective to this emotional situation.
Love and light to all,
Kate Talley
Ginny says
Dear Kate, I completely understand that it’s a necessary thing. Actually the fellows that cut our trees aren’t working directly for the power company, they are contractors I guess. I do wish they were trained in how to properly prune a tree. The truth is that because of the way the power line runs through our trees, it’s not the lineman who are being protected by the trimming, but my children who climb the trees. If the branches were to grow into the lines….And that brings me back to the why, why did they run the lines through our trees? But there’s no sense questioning what was done decades ago. We’re all feeling better now, as we’ve had to adjust to the necessity of the trimming. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Kate Talley says
Dear Ginny, thank you for your loving reply. Right nowvit is SO nice to know I am heard.
Love, Kate
Marta says
Congrats Silas!
It is sad what they did with your trees…
Emma says
Sorry to hear about your trees. Years ago when we were renting a place surrounded by trees the owners decided to cut them all down to give us more sunlight, I would have preferred to keep the trees. I felt all exposed and naked for weeks afterwards!!
I’d love to join in your gardening journal idea. We still have a ton of snow here and more expected but I’m soon going to start a few things off inside, if that counts as gardening.
Jen says
I’m so sorry about your trees!!! The pictures are so sad! At least they left you the mulch I suppose. I love the idea of sharing about our gardens. We are in the middle of planning out our very first garden right now! I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see what you “seasoned” gardeners are going to do! Our wills be small this first year but I’m hoping it’ll grow as the years progress!
Kelly @ Creating a Family Home says
I love to write and post about my garden in spring and summer, so I’ll definitely join in! I try to keep a hand written journal, too, but it was much easier to do when my garden was more spectacular… and before kids! I should feel lucky that I even *have* a garden!
Gretchen says
So sorry about your maples. We’ve felt the same pain. We were planning a similar garden log this way on our blog! It will be wonderful to share!
tara says
Last spring, due to erosion problems, the city had to do restoration work on the creek in our backyard. In order to do their work, they had to clear the field behind us of trees and shrubs. Completely cleared. I understand your pain, Ginny.
ericaceae says
Oh, I’m with you on the garden posts. I’ve never stayed on top of garden journals very well, but a visual record is a great idea!
swanski says
I always wonder who plants the trees in the way of the lines or who places the lines in the way of the trees? Around here people trim trees just because…..it looks terrible. If you want a small tree plant a small tree-so very simple.
I cannot believe Silas is standing already-look out world here he comes!!