We are losing a tree this week, one of our tall Cottonwoods, and for some reason I didn’t take a hundred photos of it while it was alive. I took a moment last night before the carnage began to look up through its empty branches into the sky in gratitude.
Cottonwood trees sound like a canyon stream as the wind blows through their leaves. They have kept our yard cool and full of shade in the mornings, and given us privacy from neighbors. We have three Cottonwoods, and these trees were one of the things that drew us to this house, as their presence felt kind of sacred. We traveled hundreds of miles to see the Redwood trees one year, and the stillness and permanence of those forests made an impression on me. The blessed realization is that we have a similar feeling in our own backyard. It is a good thing to have tall trees and some wilderness space. I will miss our middle tree!
