The Death of the Great Guardian of Lyndon Lane

It is with a sad heart that I write about the death of the great guardian of Lyndon lane.  The mighty oak fell last week as a result of damage bestowed upon him during the great windstorm of ’08 a few weeks back.  The damage wasn’t discovered until a few weeks later while I was walking the yard during one of the last great days of autumn.   The crack ran from the main fork near the bottom of the trunk.   I would approximate that it was every bit of 10 feet long and it went through the trunk to the other side.  Basically the crack pierced through the heart of the tree.  Death has once again struck the hive. 

Now I know deep in my heart that the tree is essentially dead and has no chance for recovery.  I maintain hope, because that’s what I do in these circumstances.  I attempt to locate an arborist that will confirm the news that I want to hear that we can repair the damage and/or salvage one half of the majestic oak.  No such luck was to be found this day.  Instead confirmation was given that it was indeed dead.  In the circle of life, where there is death there is life. 

Although the oak was a mighty guardian and beautiful in stature it was a hindrance to the life cycle below its large shadow eclipsing branches.  I mention this as the front yard is being destroyed to further enhance the beauty of the hive.  I have a large landscaping plan that consists entirely of plants and shrubs that thrive in the shade.  So in looking at the bright side of things I can now go back to the drawing board and redo my landscaping project to include the addition of sunlight.  The timing of the tree removal was fortuitous  I reckon as I would’ve hated to have finished my massive landscaping project and then have to go through the whole ordeal of watching my plants burn to death during the days of summer and having to redo it all again later.

In every situation there is humor to be found, whether it be obvious or more subtle.  As I have written I was saddened by the prospect of the oak being taken down.  The timing of the discovery couldn’t have been worse as a winter storm is quickly approaching.  To make matters worse I am having difficulties locating an arborist.  The arborist I have used in the past has apparently gone out of business so I’m starting from scratch.  A coworker recommends a landscaping company called “Landscape Tech.”  Luckily for me, a good ‘ol country boy named Tommy answers the phone.  I am telling him the details of my predicament when he cuts me off mid sentence and yells anxiously “Son!!!  You have yourself a tree emergency!!”  I can’t do the sentence justice, but trust me it was hilarious!   On a side note, if I am ever to be given horrible news I would like it framed in that exact manner,  “Son!!!  Your girlfriend’s pregnant!!!”  or “Son!!!  You’ve only got 6 months to live!”  I think I would take the news much better, I don’t know for certain but I think I would. 

Back to the story…  Next thing I know Tommy is telling me that he’s getting in his truck right now and will call me back as he’s heading to Lyndon and hangs up!   The problem here is that Tommy doesn’t have any details on how to contact me or where he’s supposed to be heading.  All he knows is Lyndon.  It’s a small community but I’m going to give him one in a million odds of finding my tree without the address.  To make matters worse he’s not answering my return calls to give him my contact details.  I leave my contact information and address in hopes he checks his messages and isn’t just driving around Lyndon looking for a large oak tree with a split down the middle.  I didn’t know what to expect.  In the meantime I am listening to JV hollering in the background “Rufus!!!  Get in the damn truck; grab the chains and chain saw!!  We’ve got ourselves a tree emergency!!!”  We spent all day torturing everyone in our area with loud exchanges of “Son!!!” and “Rufus!!!”  Subsequently we were banned from the area relatively quickly.  Shortly afterwards, Tommy called me onsite, apparently he got my address from my message.  I think you know what happens next; Tommy confirmed my fears.  The mighty oak guardian of Lyndon Lane was to be no more.

I said my goodbyes to the tree the morning of with a beautiful burnt orange sky as the sun rose one last time on the largest tree in Lyndon.  I will never forget the burnt orange sky background against the mighty limbs of the oak that morning.  It was to be discovered that the oak was 67 years old.  Quite a life it had and I can only imagine all that it saw there at the hive in it’s lifetimes.  I only know the past 4 years but I can assure that the tree didn’t lack excitement in those 4 years guarding the house.

~ by reignking on December 24, 2008.