When we moved into our house, there was a great big Bradford Pear Tree in the front yard. It was old and beautiful and David and I made jokes about it as a way to procrastinate about doing any home renovations. We'd say, "well, we can't do "X", "Y", "Z" until the Pear Tree is gone." (*can someone please tell me if the period goes inside or outside the quotation mark if the quote ends the sentence?) I think the joke stemmed from some dream of having a wrap-around porch which the Pear Tree would obviously be in the way of.
A few years ago the Pear Tree exploded in a big wind storm, and we had to take the whole thing down. The house suddenly seemed exposed, and it felt a little weird to sit on the front porch in full view of the street. It was totally impossible to sit there midday in the full sun with no shade to be had. Two years ago we planted a Maple Tree in the same spot where the Pear had been. And this week it has treated us to a show of yellows and reds and oranges that ripple up and down the branches. There are lots of beautiful autumn trees in the neighbourhood right now, but none of them feel as special to me as the one in my front yard. I look at that tree and think I did that. Not in a possessive "mine mine mine" sort of way, but more like, "I helped add this little piece of beauty to the world". (in or out?)
