Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tale of a Tree



Many years ago, the Bag Lady lived a different life in a different city.

She had a little house with a very big tree. She had not planted the tree, if she had, it wouldn't have been so close to the house but she loved it. It was a beautiful tree if it hadn't been so close to the house and it was very large.

When the Bag Lady lived in her little house with the very big tree in a different city long, long ago, she tried to keep the tree trimmed and under control. As time passed, the tree did what trees will do, and it grew and grew.

The Bag Lady eventually sold her little house in that different city because she had moved to the country, but she occasionally drives into that city, and one day she happened to have business in the neighbourhood where her little house was, so she drove past her little house just to see how her tree was faring.

Her tree was gone!

She carried on to her destination, pain in her heart, mourning the loss of her beautiful roof wrecking tree. She had always known that the tree would eventually have to be cut down, but she had hoped that the current owners would just move their damned house away from her tree it wouldn't happen for many years to come.

When she had finished her business in the neighbourhood, she drove back past her little house with the non-existent tree and saw that there was now a vehicle in the driveway. She also noticed that there were suckers growing around the stump of the once magnificent tree, so, on a whim, she stopped. She rang the doorbell of her little house (she doesn't care, it will always be her little house, even though, if she were carried into it unconscious and woke up, she wouldn't know she was in her little house because of the extensive and wonderful renovations they have done!) and asked the current owners if it would be alright if she took a couple of cuttings from the tree.

The current owners were very gracious and gave the Bag Lady a tour of the house to show her all the renovations ("You moved the basement stairs! I always wanted to do that".... "A bathroom in the basement? I wanted to do that, too!" .... "Oh.My.God!! I LOVE that you turned the garage into a family room. That was one of my dreams....") and even loaned her a pair of scissors to take her cuttings from the tree.



She sincerely hopes the cuttings will take root and that eventually she will have a beautiful tree in her yard in the country. In the middle of her yard, where the tree can grow and grow and spread out like nature intended!

17 comments:

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Because it would be bad to plant it too close to the house!
So nice of them to give you a tour -- and the cuttings. :)

Leah J. Utas said...

What a wonderful story. Sad, yet a happy ending. I am sure the cuttings you took will live happily ever after.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Such a sweet story. I'm sad they had to cut down your tree, but it's wonderful you got some cuttings so it will live on.

There's a company here in the States that sells cuttings from famous trees and descendants of famous trees: http://www.historictrees.org/

Geosomin said...

That is fantastic that they let you come in and see your old house :)

I hope your cutting roots up well :)

Hilary said...

Aww I love this. I'm glad you thought to take those suckers. Your tree will live on. And if it doesn't you can always go back and get some more cuttings. After all, there's a sucker born every minute. ;)

solarity said...

I'm glad you got cuttings, and I hope they will do nicely.

My grandparents lived, for the first year they were married (1908) in a house where someone long before them had planted a tree far too close. By the time I was in my twenties the house was unoccupied and the tree had branches actually resting on the roof. Not until someone moved into the house when I was in my forties did they take the tree down, since they wanted to repair the roof.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

the Bag Lady said...

kcinnova - they were extremely gracious! The woman kept saying what a mess the house was, but I didn't care about that! It was fascinating to see the renovations.

Leah - I really hope the cuttings root. It would make a lovely addition to our yard.

BG - thanks! I hadn't heard about the cuttings from famous trees - that is so cool!

Geo - it was a little surreal to see the difference. They had done so many of the things I had wanted to do!

Hilary - snort! I hope these cuttings survive, because I'm still not entirely sure those people weren't just humoring the strange woman who showed up on their doorstep.

Mary Anne in Kentucky - apparently, that's exactly the reason these people cut the tree down - it was ruining the roof (and probably the foundation, too).

JavaChick said...

I'm so glad you got some cuttings! Hope they grow!

The house I grew up in has a line of Maple Trees all along the front of the yard. Over the years some have had to be cut down and it always makes me sad.

the Bag Lady said...

JavaChick - it is always sad when trees have to be cut down! Perhaps I have an un-natural attachment to trees...... :)

messymimi said...

Trees being cut makes me sad, too, even when it has to be done.

Hope this one grows big and strong and healthy, and gives you years of joy.

the Bag Lady said...

messymimi - it's nice to know I'm not the only tree-lover!

Redbush said...

I'm so glad the sucker found a home where it will be much loved and looked after. In this case, once a sucker, not always a sucker. You're so brave to go into your old house, and to find a gracious lady at that. I'm sure it brought back many memories even though it was rennovated!

Reb said...

So, did they keep the dining room we worked so hard to make :) Glad you got a sucker, surprised you didn't mention how it turned you car purple/red from the berries.

the Bag Lady said...

Redbush - hopefully, this will be one sucker who grows into a full-blown tree!

Reb - No, the dining room is gone. The stairs go down the wall into the basement (heading south) and what we made into a dining room is now half kitchen and half bathroom/closet for the master bedroom! You would not recognize it as the same house! They did a very nice job.

Sagan said...

That is so sweet!

Something similar happened to my family. We had this tree growing right on the edge of our driveway which was always difficult to park around, and after we sold the house, the new owners cut down the tree so that there was room to park their boat. It was tragic. But, I guess that's the reason why we sell the old places, right? Because it's time for us to move on. Sometimes that can be a little hard to look back on it though.

Dawn said...

I do understand. We have a running battle here with trees. I've planted many too close together or under power lines or too close to the house. Hubby valiantly battles them. We try to keep them all but did have to remove a couple of pine nuts a year or two back.

So glad you got a cutting of your old friend.

Cheryl Kohan said...

That's a lovely story...a little bittersweet, of course. I didn't know you could take a cutting from a tree. I thought you'd have to dig up a little sucker. Good for you...hope it grows up big and strong.