Our willow tree towers over the backyard. We think it has reigned behind our house ever since the house was built back in the sixties. The big old trunk is knarled and knotted and wide. Ed and I wrapped a tape measure around the knobby trunk, and its circumference is almost 14 feet around. We love our tree.
I vaguely remember another weeping willow tree. I was about three years old. The tree was in the yard of our country parsonage in Nebraska. I don’t remember much about that house; only the long flight of stairs that went from the first floor to the second floor–I fell down those stairs when my mom was in the hospital with my baby sister–and the weeping willow. Ever since then, the graceful, swooping green trees have been my favorites.
Willow trees are messy. They grow fast and are made out of soft wood. They are a reckless tree; they drink a lot and dance in the wind. Sometimes they break. Weeping willows die young. They don’t grow old like the stately oak tree or even a sugar maple.
Our willow tree’s time has come. Most of the top is dead, and it isn’t as generous with shade as it used to be. It’s time for it to go.
The tree service will come to cut down our tree today, weather permitting. Our whole family is sad; we have become very attached to our tree.
And yet…
Everything old is new again.
On my dining room table, I have some willow fronds from the old willow tree in a vase. Little roots are starting to form at the cut ends of the twigs. Lily and Emmy are hoping that in the spring, we’ll have a little willow tree to plant in the backyard.
Everything old is new again.
Time to share your Spin! Gretchen at Second Blooming and I are teaming up to bring you the Spin Cycle. Link up your blog post below, or share in the comments: tell us your take on “Everything old is new again.” Join us again on Monday to find out what next week’s prompt will be.
(Just a sidenote…the willow is next to the power line to the house, so I’ll be without power for a while. I’ll come by and read your posts as soon as I have internet access!)
Add your Spin Cycle link HERE:
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Now I’m sad again.
I’m still sad. Our yard is empty. 🙁
And you are giving the next generation a love of willows. That is what life is all about, connections.
Yes, that is true! My daughters really loved that tree and will have fond memories of it.
So cool that you can grow the next tree from the old one. A great continuing legacy.
I hope it works! I’m crossing my fingers that we see little roots soon.
I love Weeping Willows too. I was so happy when I found two growing by our pond when we bought our home several years ago. Storms took one, but the other thrives,
They are beautiful trees, aren’t they?
Ah, I’m feeling a little sad about the old willow. I had a mimosa tree when I was a girl that was huge and beautiful and my climbing tree. But mimosas aren’t long lived either, and gradually over the years every time I went back to the old house to visit, one then another branch had been lopped off, and finally the new owner had to cut the whole tree down. I mourned it like the passing of a friend.
We definitely feel like we have lost a good friend.
I love Weeping Willows. I never see them. I don’t even know if they’re common up north. What we do have is a forest of pine trees – and I happen to be allergic to them. I still greatly enjoy them.
We have a lot of them here, especially by retention ponds. They were planted by a lot of developers because they soak up so much water and our area can get pretty swampy!
We had a huge willow tree in our backyard when I was growing up. My brothers and I loved to climb it. They even tied a few ropes to a couple branches, and we had the best time swinging down from the branches like we were Tarzan! I was so sad when the tree was cut down. Like your willow, ours grew near power lines, and eventually the branches of our tree just got too tangled in the lines.
I know that our neighbor has cut down a few willows in our area. Our tree was too big for him to handle, unfortunately…we had to go with someone more expensive! *sigh*
I love the photo taken from under the willow tree. What a great shot! That’s not an angle I would’ve thought of taking a photo from. I hope you and your girls are able to plant a new tree.
I love willow trees! We also had a huge one at our old house. And we also had to have it cut down before it fell. That’s a great idea of rooting a branch. I’ll have to try that sometime.