Tree bones

By Elizabeth Prata

Don't you think that in winter, with the leaves fallen off and exposing the trunk and branches, that the skeleton frame of the tree is beautiful? The leaves and foliage are, too, of course, but it's not often we get a naked glimpse of the infrastructure of the majestic tree. Its bones, so to speak. So pretty! They make a starkly beautiful landscape against the sky. Here are a few from my yard:

John Welch and his trees

John Welch and His Trees

If anyone remembers my own history ten years ago on that same lake and same issue to cut down some trees...(4, not John's requested 14,) you will know why I shake my head and smile. All towns are the same and all issues are the same. Eventually.

Our tree episode brought me at loggerheads with a corrupt Code Enforcment Officer and eventually her dismissal (1997-1999), which sparked me to gather some folks to start a charter revision to better protect taxpaying citizens against bad government (1999-2000), a process through which I learned the town could do with a real newspaper so I started The Monument (2000-2007).

What a long, long, tree-lined road it's been. I wonder how John will react.