A Huge Loss

I had an excellent weekend. It's always good to see friends again. As I normally do when driving, I think about the yard, the house, and other things going on in life. If I had known what was waiting for me, I would have made some different plans for the backyard. When I pulled into the driveway, something felt wrong. Why do I see so much sky?



Upon closer inspection, it was obvious what had happened. I lost one of the huge oaks in the wild.



This thing was massive.



Areas of the gully that were in full shade on Friday are now exposed to hot afternoon sunlight, maybe for the first time ever.



Looking under the tree, you can see the wild roses that I found and played with a bit over the past two years. I wonder what the soil is like back here.



I guess she just couldn't take it anymore. Rotted from the inside out.



As she was, Friday morning before I left.