I have a plum tree outside my office window that really should be removed. It was planted too near the house foundation and was rapidly shaded out by a maple tree that grew far faster than a maple tree has the right to do. Now the plum tree is spindly and insect-ridden, and year-by-year I see it losing its battle for survival. But even in its dying, it gives me such pleasure that I am loathe to take that final step in ending its life.
Its branches shade my window from the sun and provide an eminently more appealing view than the back of our neighbor’s house. The insects that hide among its leaves and branches attract a veritable parade of birds that peer in at me as I watch them: black-capped chicadees, brilliantly colored cardinals, dusky cedar waxwings, cheeky blue jays, bright yellow goldfinches…all come to feed and shelter, to sing and court, to make even the grayest day just a little brighter.
I have a plum tree outside my office window that really should be removed….
But not yet. 🙂
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