Have I Become...

A TREE HUGGER??!!??!!

Well, I wouldn't say "yes" with full conviction, but there is this one tree... at Home.

Here's our house.  I love home.  I think that there isn't any better place to be than in my own home.  Don't you feel the same way?  Your own bed, space, schedule and agenda...

Well, we had a "tree guy" come to look at our tall pine tree because it had some problems and was leaning toward the house a bit.

He told us that there was evidence of some kind of insect infestation and that the only way to get rid of them is to remove the tree before they started infesting surrounding trees.

So... our favorite outdoor feature of our home had to be removed.

I had never seen a tree being felled before this, so I took way too many pictures.

And then the top was off and we were left with a tall post.  Not the same "look" do ya think??

It didn't provide a whole lot of shade... but it did provide a little and it kept the sun out of the south facing windows in the living room.  Hmmmm....

It just isn't nearly as pretty without all the needles!  I hung many bird feeders in this tree and enjoyed sitting on the couch and seeing them come to feed.  Hummingbirds, Bluejays and Finches mostly visited our tree.

Well, our house appears a bit empty there, now.  And as far as the tree huggin'?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?  I wish I would've hugged that tree a time or two.