A Tree Fell in the Driveway

 When a tree falls in your driveway, it definitely makes a noise.  And when it is over a hundred years old, it makes a very big noise indeed.  I have two very strong emotional responses to this event.  The first and foremost is that we felt very lucky.  Our house sustained some damage, but this is one gigantic tree that was living in very close proximity to a number of structures, including the bedroom where our youngest son was when the tree fell.  Our cars, things that you would expect to find in the driveway, were largely unscathed, as was our garage.  The power that such a huge tree exerts when it comes down to earth is astounding.  It crushed everything in its direct path and lots of things with it's much smaller branches. 

The sad thing is that this very old tree, which is certainly as old as the house itself, is gone.  It took up a lot of real estate in the sky, and that is all opened up to sunlight now.  The tree had been alive for many events, both local and far afield.  It witnessed a significant part of the history of our young country, and now it will be warming houses in the place wehre it once thrived.