Women Over Fifty

I love our National Parks, our State Parks, any park, especially the ones that are full of trees.  Like the California Redwoods.  I love trees.  I love being in a forest.

Part of the reason we chose our current house  was the trees.  Between the house and the road there was a thick stand of eucalyptus.  They were young trees, but growing thickly together.  Rumor has it that the previous owner got some cheap mulch and it sprouted eucalyptus trees.  It doesn’t matter.  I loved that thick screen of trees.

In the southeast corner of the next door property there were 6 or 7 mature eucalyptus trees.  They weren’t our trees, but they crowded our property so they felt like our trees.

In the northeast corner, next to the neighbor’s house there was another thick stand of young eucalyptus trees - probably from the same mulch.

When you entered our driveway, you drove through these trees to the surprise of lawn and the house.  From the house you couldn’t see the road.  Delivery trucks had a very difficult time finding us.

One by one our trees have fallen to disease or the ministrations of the gas and electric company.  When the gas and electric company took down the young eucaluptus because they threatened their power lines, I counted 47 stumps.  In return for my loss, the gas and electric company gave me three trees, nearly as tall as me, not threatening the power lines.  We had to plant them.  They have not thrived.

The gas and electric company also has its eye on an old ash tree.  Understand, that in Southern California, almost any tree is valued.  I value this old ash.  It’s trunk is thick.  Its branches are many and they stand tall.  When the tree trimmers come, I have to watch them or they’ll put a huge bite mark in the tree.  They just carve out space for the lines.  I am not fond of bite marks in my trees so I watch them carefully until they do a more graceful trim.

Today, the gas and electric company was here to take down two trees: one an ugly olive tree that stood at the entrance to our drive, the other the last of our eucalyptus trees.  The eucalyptus trees had been hit by a bug infestation and died - except for this one.  However, it now has a crack going maybe fifteen feet up the middle of the tree.  I can’t have it in my yard while I wait for it to fall.  Thankfully, for the budget at least, it could endanger the power lines if it fell.  They will cut it down.

The olive tree is now interesting-looking wood for the fireplace.  They began to take down the eucaluptus tree and quit.  It would seem that there is a birds nest in the top of the tree with eggs or baby birds in it.  The tree trimmer won’t take it down until the birds leave the nest.   He has trimmed the tree so it’s fairly safe, but I wouldn’t say it’s attractive.

I think the birds are crows - he calls them ravens - and I don’t think the world will miss a few crows growing up.  In our neighborhood with its many crows we might actually appreciate a few less crows.  It’s not just the tree trimmer’s personal  feelings though.  He says there’s a $25,000 fine for taking down a bird nest that has eggs or baby birds in it.  So we wait.

To my secret glee, his mulcher broke down and he won’t be back until it’s fixed.  Maybe I can convince the neighborhood hawks that there’s good eating in the top of that tree.   They can’t fine hawks, can they?

Marilynne

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