"Pain is the price of love," our dear friend C Ward wrote a few days ago, sharing our eternal sadness at the loss of our precious Tiny. Above, the gaping, sap-weeping wound slashing through the very heartwood of a major branch of our grand old Silver Maple in the wake of the last big snowstorm of winter a few weeks back. Talk about the psychological landscape.
"My precious 'outdoor room,' The Maple Court shaped by [the] grand old silver maple shading our terrace, has been destroyed by overpruning. Tears," we twittered last August in the wake of a tree surgeon's visit. Now another major bough has been lopped off, made necessary by a cruel trick of Mother Nature herself, who sent a late-winter storm of water-laden snow to these parts.
Yet life with pain is more rewarding than life without love.
Posted by: goomp | April 23, 2011 at 12:17 PM
Sissy, have you and Tuck decided on a new tree to plant?
Posted by: Miss Kelly | April 26, 2011 at 01:47 PM
My mother used to say that without the pain, you wouldn't be able to appreciate the joy. I told her I was willing to make that sacrifice! One of the many times she slapped me upside the head!
Of course she was right, but the loss of dear Tiny still resonates with those who loved her (and you and Tuck, her beloved staff). I'm still mourning the loss of Sam the Wonder Cat although I must say, the pain is somewhat ameliorated by the antics of the Weird Brothers, Buddy and Rusty, who get funnier with every passing day!
Posted by: Gayle Miller | April 27, 2011 at 10:50 AM
Still missing Tiny's silky sweet presence as I move through the days. It's true that Little Cat -- possibly officially named Attila the Hon (Tillie for short) for her tendency to go for the jugular -- is helping us deal with our loss through her non-stop antics.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | April 27, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Great minds must think alike... for without having read this post, I expressed a similar sentiment in the penultimate paragraph of this piece over at my site.
Posted by: Elisson | April 29, 2011 at 11:28 AM
Miss Kelly: Haven't decided ... Any thoughts?
Posted by: Sissy Willis | April 29, 2011 at 01:37 PM
Elisson: The meaning of bittersweet.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | April 29, 2011 at 01:38 PM
Such a great shame, From what I can tell it was beautiful specimen.
Posted by: Tree surgeons in London | January 07, 2012 at 09:58 AM
Well the one way you've got to look at is that you've got some nice firewood now.
Posted by: Tree Surgeons in Milton Keynes | January 23, 2012 at 06:12 AM