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The Tree Wizards
Texas, in all her flatness, was now our new home. But there were surprises. The little pink rambler was squat and somewhat ugly due to its Mary Kay exterior, but the yard was amazing. A small stream running through the back of the property had been diverted to provide nourishment for the plants and garden.
The thick jungle growing out of what used to be a well-manicured garden, and a sea of different colored flowers now competing for attention sold my wife on this house. The elderly man who had owned it didn’t have the strength or the will to maintain the place after his wife died. His children put the house up for sale when he finally passed on himself. My wife saw the foliage as a challenge. Gardening was a favorite hobby she rarely got to practice in the little condo we’d lived in on the coast of California.
All the plants were perfect except for the huge maple tree in the front yard that served as a centerpiece. Its placement was ingenious. The long thick arching branches provided shade to every corner of the front yard and the porch. My wife hated to destroy it, but the old maple was dying, and she feared a strong wind might topple it onto the house.
She showed me the dried out trunk and where the roots were pushing through the arid soil searching for water. The tiny stream couldn’t provide enough water to sustain the giant tree anymore. I didn’t like…
