One of my current side quests is to reforest as much of our 0.4x acre lot as I can. Once you factor a house, driveway, etc, there’s not a ton of space left but we’ve managed to plant a fair few.
I’ll be introducing them to you over time, probably on days when I can’t think of anything else to write about. Today, meet our favorite maple volunteer.
This tree started as a weed in the back of the grove, discovered the spring of 2018 after we put up our fence. Here is a picture of it not existing yet inside the fence in November of 2017.
What’s amazing to me about this tree is how freaking big it got in seven years. That seems extraordinary to me by any standard. We’ve done a little encouraging over the years to help it grow. Mostly pruning lower branches and saying nice things to it. Still, that bugger is big enough that I’d have to cross the street to fit it all in frame.
So why am I sharing this tree? That’s an excellent question with a moderately ok answer…
I love that THIS tree exists, and I want it to have a place among the river of documented human awareness. Beyond satellite photos or Google street view drive-bys or realtor photos of the house next door, I want THIS tree to have a moment of acknowledgement for being extraordinary, for growing to a magnificent height, for delivering shade and shelter, for the dappling of light and the whisper of wind through its leaves.
It doesn’t need a moment, but it deserves one.
And the boy loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy.
Shel Silverstein