Just one note about this. Trees do NOT make good baby gifts. It all started when we were given a Bradford Pear tree as a gift when The Geeky One was born.
A pretty tree. It grew quickly, just like The Geeky One…as is their wont. But Bradford Pear trees are snappy little things. At least the variety we had. They lose their branches in the slightest wind, snapping off to and fro. So we fought with this tree. Trimming branches. The sucker even got hit by lightening once….the tree was fine…except for a burn mark…the neighbor’s TV got fried. I was a bit concerned…it kind of creeped me out when it happened–seeing that it was The Geeky One’s tree–but he was a little guy then and standing right beside me, so it was all good.
As an aside…the tree is impossible to photograph very well. I’ve tried a million times. The photos don’t do it justice. At. All.
But I digress…
The early spring blossoms look like popcorn balls, don’t they? Okay, where was I. Oh, yes. The tree. So one day, about 5 or so years ago the neighbor’s little kids were playing on the very same wall that you see in the photograph. The wall is like a kid magnet! So the two little kids leave and not FIVE MINUTES later we hear this huge booming, cracking noise…we run outside and the tree is smashed, cracked, kurplunked, down in the middle of the road! 😯
I immediately get hysterical. Very surprising since I’m always calm and collected, just saying. Am I concerned about the two kids we almost murdered with our tree?? No. I’m positive this means that something dreadful has happened to The Geeky One!
I rush inside, and immediately start calling all around until I can get ahold of The Geeky One. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, I track him down. He’s okay. I make him swear to stay inside, don’t drive, wrap himself up in bubble wrap for the rest of the day… 🙄 ‘Cause, like I said, I’m always calm and collected.
The neighbors came over and helped saw and chop up that ‘ol tree. I was sad to see it go though, because, well we got it as baby gift when The Geeky One was born. It seemed sad and ominous. SO… to make one of my long stories longer…
That spring a shoot popped up from that very tree that had fallen. Actually quite a few suckers popped up. I made SuperGuy swear he would leave them alone. We picked the strongest looking one and left it to grow. Now we have our tree back. Sigh.
But, I’m just saying, giving a tree THAT MIGHT DIE is a terrible baby gift! End of story.
I will say it has the most adorable blossoms on it every spring though. Which is why I still allow it to grow, after all the heartache it has caused me! 😆
