The Last Hurrah!

Winter's last hurrah came last night.  At least I hope it's the last one!  Another winter snowstorm, this time with high winds and several inches of snow. The storm took with it one huge branch from my massive white pine (Cleo, named by my niece).  I hear a chain saw in my near future!

A New Sugar Maple

I was blessed with the gift of a new sugar maple to replace the one I had removed. It's BEAUTIFUL!! It fills in the stark side of the house, and will grow to provide some nice shade once again.






Isn't it lovely??!!

A New Look

After more than two weeks of hard work, the maple is now gone. It came down in stages, and the workers had an incredible task taking it down.

The hollow logs are a clear indication that the tree came down none-too-soon. I did a bit of research on sugar maples and, based on age, this one was definitely at the end of the chart as far as age is concerned. It was time.
Although it's difficult to fathom, the tree trimmer believes that what they carried out weighed about 200 tons. He said that building the entire house, all three stories, would have taken less wood than was in this one tree.

The man who came to grind the stump (which took four hours!) estimated the tree to be 300-400 years old.

I sure miss the old tree, and the place looks so different. I wish things could remain the same, but have learned that all things change. Only God is the same yesterday, today and forever. :-)

So, now with a creative new sidewalk, the place takes on a fresh look. It's time to get the grass in and work on some landscaping.

"See, I am doing a new thing!"

-- Isaiah 43:19

Beautiful in Its Time

It's been a remarkably emotional week for me.

I've finally come to grips with something I've put off for the seven years I've lived on My Canaan. I've known, since the day I moved in, that my gorgeous 200+ year old maple tree would need to come down. I tried to save it, having it trimmed a few years ago, but truth is that each major branch is hollow. It's rotted to its core and is a significant hazard, especially so near the house.

So, I made the call and watched this week as the tree trimmers began the incredible task of taking it down.

So, I made the call and watched this week as the tree trimmers began the incredible task of taking it down.
I learned a few things through this process. Speaking with our local historian, I discovered that the major east-west streets in my town were named for the trees in the area. Butternut, Chestnut, and mine - Sugar Ridge. Sugar Ridge was named for the prevalence of the sugar maple. And it's my beautiful sugar maple that is meeting its end.

So, it feels like a bit of history coming down. This tree has framed the property for hundreds of years, and it's unique beauty won't ever be duplicated. Massive at 60-feet tall, with a circumference of over 250", its stature is magnificent. At a glance, its branches seem to reach to the heavens like arms raised in praise.



Everything about my place now looks different. Stark, empty, barren. This one tree gave the property its character and personality.

Yet, for everything there is a season.... a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. For my maple, its time is finished. My heart is ever-so-sad, and yet I know that God has made everything beautiful in its time. My Canaan is beautiful because his presence dwells here.

"No longer shall there be wasting or destruction within your borders;

But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise."

Nevertheless

Life on "my canaan" is interesting, to say the least. There's always a challenge to face or a story to tell. Sometimes the challenges come fast and furious, and that's the way it's been lately.

Beyond the normal daily tasks and responsiblities, unexpected challenges seem to be at a rat-a-tat pace. Recent storm damage to my east porch and deterioration to the west porch, and I now find myself needing to replace both. My magnificent massive maple trees threaten the house and garage, and need to be trimmed and/or taken down. The critters are literally gnawing away at the buildings and invading my garden, my 7-year-old truck needs repair and..... last night I struck a stump with my riding mower and broke the blade . Arghh!!!

NEVERTHELESS.....

These things aren't going to bring me down! Although challenges abound, nevertheless God is in control. He has always provided in the past and he will provide in each and every case of need.
It causes me to think about the power of that word. Nevertheless...
It's all about attitude. It's not Scarlett O'Hara's lah-dee-dah attitude in Gone with the Wind... sigh... "tomorrow is another day." It's a powerful word and a strong resolve, a word of purpose and steely determination.

NEVERTHELESS. What a great word!

So... this week I'll call the tree service, lawn mower repair, a contractor and a mechanic, set my critter cages and face a new day!

 

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.

— Viktor Frankl, Nazi concentration camp survivor