Saying goodbye to our oak tree
Our beautiful, large oak tree in the far corner of our back yard was an enduring presence for decades. We knew the tree from the time we bought our house in 1991. The tree finally died in 2024.
Austin experienced a late and extended freeze in the Spring of 2023 that caused widespread damage to thousands of trees. We thought our trees were fortunate, as they appeared to have escaped harm. Alas, our oak tree had sustained damage that allowed fungus to take over its vascular system.
We knew the tree was ailing this spring. Multiple large limbs were dead. Instead of cutting it down completely, we decided to prune the large dead limbs. We thought it would survive a few more seasons. The tree had a different plan. New leaves grew and then quickly died.
The tree trimmers returned today to remove the rest of the tree.
It seemed fitting that it was cloudy and then rainy for the procedure. I watched the workers sawing tree limbs and hauling them to the street. Then the workers cut away at the thick trunk and brought those pieces to their truck. Finally, their work came to an end.
I’m having a bit of a moment.
We’ll plant something or more likely multiple things in the area. In fact, I’m looking forward to the idea of new growth and have lots of ideas for beautifying that corner.
Still, I’m sad to see our old friend go.
As a counterpoint to tree death, here is my rubber tree that used to live in our dining area. It had thrived indoors until it didn’t. I tried repotting it and even cut off some of the root system to try to revive it. All to no avail. After staring at it for months, I finally moved it outside in a huff. Looks like it just wanted to be outside.
This meme seems apt.
I'm so sorry about the oak tree. I guess when life hand you lemons you just gotta add them to your drink. Still losing a tree like that really any tree is just hard.