A Sugar Maple Tale
There once was a tree.
A tall, beautiful, Sugar Maple.
Many years it grew near the end of our driveway, in the strip of grass by the road.
A tall tree with gorgeous red leaves in the fall.
Our first notice of any issues was the 8 inch diameter hole in the side of the tree about 10 feet up.
A large mama raccoon crawled out of this hole one day, wandered to the back yard, and disappeared into the forest beyond the fence. She'd return later and vanish again into the tree.
After a few days of this behaviour we noticed that mama had made a nursery out of the hole in our tree. Little masked faces would peep out at us, hissing if we got to close.
The hole was later abandoned, the nursery shut down when the babes were big enough to venture out on their own.
No other creatures moved into the hole and it sat empty until some children began to see if they could throw a stone into the hole.
Good aim required.
There was success and it became a little game.
When the stones began to come out of the tree at the ground level, we discovered a new little hole at the base of the tree.
The big hole in the side of the tree was a hole that went about 10 feet down through the centre of the tree.
Interesting.
Branches near the top of the tree ceased producing leaves.
We knew it was time for the tree to come down.
Preferably not on its own though.
No one wanted the tree to come crashing through our house.
For several years we pestered the town to come cut it down, as it grew on town property. For several years they insisted that the tree was healthy and should not come down.
Then came the ants. Carpenter ants, specifically.
A huge colony of Carpenter ants who were enjoying their feast of the Sugar Maple.
It was decided that the tree must go.
So last fall, we watched the great tree become a stump.
Tears fell from the eyes of an 8 year old girl ~ and I felt a little sad too. This tree had been part of our lives since we moved into the house. A lovely canopy of leafy branches that provided shade in the heat of summer, for girls who loved to draw on the sidewalk with chalk beneath the tree's outstretched arms. A sheltering from the sun's blistering heat against the front of the house.
But again, the safety of our home and those inside were our first concern.
The tree has been gone now for a while, but this week we had a crude reminder of its power and its growth.
We had a sewage backup into our house that sent chaos into our home.
A long story made short ~ a tree root was the cause. This root had grown alongside the sewer pipe, following its pathway until there was a rubber joining piece on the pipe. Sensing the softer material, the root was able to break through and reach what it was searching for - water. Thus, breaking the pipe and causing much fuss and mess in our home.
I found it very interesting that this tree root was so persistent in its quest for water. Nothing would stop it until it quenched its thirst.
People can be like that too. And how good it is for that person who discovers the Real Life Source.
Psalm 1 says :
"1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers." (NIV)
We have a stack of wood in our back yard, waiting to be used to warm us in the winter cold.
We will stand and salute as the old tree meets its final end.
Raccoon home, ant colony's feast, homeowners bane.
And through it all, an example of persistence, power and life.
A tall, beautiful, Sugar Maple.
Many years it grew near the end of our driveway, in the strip of grass by the road.
A tall tree with gorgeous red leaves in the fall.
Our first notice of any issues was the 8 inch diameter hole in the side of the tree about 10 feet up.
A large mama raccoon crawled out of this hole one day, wandered to the back yard, and disappeared into the forest beyond the fence. She'd return later and vanish again into the tree.
After a few days of this behaviour we noticed that mama had made a nursery out of the hole in our tree. Little masked faces would peep out at us, hissing if we got to close.
The hole was later abandoned, the nursery shut down when the babes were big enough to venture out on their own.
No other creatures moved into the hole and it sat empty until some children began to see if they could throw a stone into the hole.
Good aim required.
There was success and it became a little game.
When the stones began to come out of the tree at the ground level, we discovered a new little hole at the base of the tree.
The big hole in the side of the tree was a hole that went about 10 feet down through the centre of the tree.
Interesting.
Branches near the top of the tree ceased producing leaves.
We knew it was time for the tree to come down.
Preferably not on its own though.
No one wanted the tree to come crashing through our house.
For several years we pestered the town to come cut it down, as it grew on town property. For several years they insisted that the tree was healthy and should not come down.
Then came the ants. Carpenter ants, specifically.
A huge colony of Carpenter ants who were enjoying their feast of the Sugar Maple.
It was decided that the tree must go.
So last fall, we watched the great tree become a stump.
Tears fell from the eyes of an 8 year old girl ~ and I felt a little sad too. This tree had been part of our lives since we moved into the house. A lovely canopy of leafy branches that provided shade in the heat of summer, for girls who loved to draw on the sidewalk with chalk beneath the tree's outstretched arms. A sheltering from the sun's blistering heat against the front of the house.
But again, the safety of our home and those inside were our first concern.
The tree has been gone now for a while, but this week we had a crude reminder of its power and its growth.
We had a sewage backup into our house that sent chaos into our home.
A long story made short ~ a tree root was the cause. This root had grown alongside the sewer pipe, following its pathway until there was a rubber joining piece on the pipe. Sensing the softer material, the root was able to break through and reach what it was searching for - water. Thus, breaking the pipe and causing much fuss and mess in our home.
I found it very interesting that this tree root was so persistent in its quest for water. Nothing would stop it until it quenched its thirst.
People can be like that too. And how good it is for that person who discovers the Real Life Source.
Psalm 1 says :
"1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers." (NIV)
We have a stack of wood in our back yard, waiting to be used to warm us in the winter cold.
We will stand and salute as the old tree meets its final end.
Raccoon home, ant colony's feast, homeowners bane.
And through it all, an example of persistence, power and life.
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