Goodbye to an Old Friend 1992

I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree. . .Kilmer
We have know for some time the old oak in our backyard had to come down, but we kept putting it off and then limbs started falling on the roof.  This tree has stood here all my life and longer.  We have entertained friends in its shade, made ice cream, made kraut; shucked corn, strung beans and tended little ones all under the shelter of the trusty old tree.

I remember the first time my great-nephew at Crossville ever spent any time away from his immediate family.  We kept him busy under the branches of this old oak.  He was two years old and we put a board across a stick of wood for a teeter board.  Brett spent some happy time walking to and fro on that simple contraption, while John and I tried to hold his hand to prevent a fall.

Six generations of my family have lolled, worked and/ or played in the shade of this now deceased friend.

I remember it was here that my daddy split stove wood, making a large pile that would hopefully last he year — it has to be cut during the waning of the moon in March to have the best burning wood.  Much to the dismay of Mother, the stove wood was always piled under the clothes line.  I can remember helping unload fire wood under this tree and ten stacking it in “open” stacks so air could easily pass through it to promote drying.

As a small girl, I had a playhouse in the shade here and swung in the old tire hanging from its limb.  In more recent years its shade has protected some special wildflowers and I wonder what to o with them now

Some renters we had one time threw a chain  over a limb and pulled a motor from a car so it could be repaired.  And later using the same chain pulled the motor from a tractor so it, too could be repaired.

Many slaughtered hogs have hung from a limb, too, as they were being dressed for use.

Over the years this red oak has been home to nest of various kinds of birds and in more recent years the lower limbs have supported bird feeders of various kinds — attracting numerous species of the feathered beauties for our enjoyment.  We have watched in awe as the hairy and/or downy woodpeckers scavenged up and down this magnificent creation for insects.  The nuthatches, the upside-down birds, love to inspect this licken-coverecx monster for the delicacies that suite their fancy.  The tree surgeons have left a tall stump and stubs of some limbs for the girds, squirrels an us to enjoy.

With ehe hel[ f family members and a friend, John has most of the mess cleaned up. None of us will have to worry about fifrewood for the rest of the winter; however, the Windy Knoll does not look the same — it looks sonaked.

As a result of our loss, the heat and glare of the sun is at times almost intolerable — a pailful reminder of how much we already miss the long time friend and its shade.  This may force us to come wup with a man- made shiedl of some sort for the sun porch.

The memories will remain for a life time nd it’s difficult to say goodbye, but this is how it is with country living.