Re-Rooting

We have a wonderful backyard! I love it. It's not huge, but it's big enough for the kids to run around in, to have a sandbox in, to have family picnics in and to just lounge around in on beautiful warm days. In the corner of our yard sits the perfect shade tree. It's an ornamental plum (which stained my favorite pair of khaki bermuda shorts last summer). This time of year, it's covered in beautiful pink blossoms. I love that tree. Just last week, I looked out the back door one morning and just had to take a picture of the pink puffs covering its branches.



I'm glad I did, because the next morning when I woke up, this is what I saw.


We got snow last Wednesday. It was so heave that it actually uprooted and knocked over the tree. Thank goodness no one or thing was hurt... except the poor tree. I quickly called my friend Jessica who owns our townhome to find out what protocol is for bowled over trees. After consideration, she and her husband decided to just cut it down. She and I were both so sad. It's such a good little tree. So, execution day was planned for Saturday. Giving us a few final days to enjoy our tree... and for Ava to laugh at the funny tree "laying" in our backyard.

Saturday came, I was prepared to bid my final farewell to Tree, when GOOD NEWS! Jessica called and said she spoke with a nursery (the tree type) and they told her the tree could be salvaged. HOORAY!! So, that morning, she and her husband and boys came over and we all went to work on re-erecting and trimming the tree. I must say, it looks beautiful. No one would ever know that just a few days ago the thing was on the chopping block.



While the grown-ups gathered branches Ava and Dylan dug for worms with real shovels. Jax, of course, ate soil.



After Operation Tree Salvage was complete, we migrated to the front of our complex to tidy up the landscaping, pull weeds and, in the kids' case, play in the dirt. Ava and Dylan were happy to "help."