Friday, August 4, 2017

When life gives you lemons – or – what I did this summer

Earlier this year we had a mess that turned into a bigger problem.

My front yard used to be shaded by the biggest turtle oak tree I’ve ever seen. Two landscapers and a tree surgeon had stopped by the house at different times to tell me how amazing the tree was. I was told they don’t usually live long enough to grow as big as mine. It stood approximately eighty feet tall and was incredibly healthy. I was proud of my tree.

Living in Florida isn’t always easy. We were hit by a tropical storm that broke a limb from the tree. Our extra carport was destroyed. We cleared the damage and put up a new although temporary carport. No big deal.



Soon after the carport had been replaced a new problem was discovered. There was a large black spot on the side of the tree. People came by to give their opinions on what could have caused the spot; a virus, a lightning strike, rot…we called the tree guy.

He said the spot was water coming down from an opening made by the storm damage. The tree was ruined. Our magnificent turtle oak would have to come down. (Of course we’d have to take the carport out of the way in order to do it) I was so disappointed.



It took an entire day and a good part of our savings. The equipment left ugly ruts in the lawn and destroyed part of my new shrubs, but the guys helped put the carport back in place to make amends.

However, I still had a problem. What could I do to make up for the loss of my beautiful tree?


Here’s what I did~


14 comments:

  1. I love the whole when life gives you lemons concept!!! it's always fabulous to look at a situation from a different, better angle. brava!

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    1. I'm not sure how my neighbors feel about it. People slow down on the street to look at it and sometimes stop to take pictures. Didn't mean to stop traffic. Glad you came by.

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  2. That is an adorable little house!!! Looks like a troll lives there--not the review kind, the real kind! Loved the post! Loved in Florida my whole life until two years ago. Everything is different down there.

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    1. Yep. Still fearful of storm damage. This house may be built better than my own. Thanks for dropping by.

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  3. Inspiring post! Thanks for sharing, Sandra :)

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    1. Glad you liked it, Joanne. Thanks for stopping in.

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  4. I love your attitude. I have a favorite tree in my garden too. I just hope it lasts a few more years

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  5. I hope your tree lasts a hundred years, Marlow.

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  6. What an amazing way to handle the problem! I love it.

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    1. Thanks Karen. My goal in life is to entertain, and I mean that seriously.

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  7. What a great way to remember your tree. And you should definitely plant another.

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    1. I intent to, Charlotte, but my tree guy wants me to wait until the lawn is healthy again. He says the damaged tree sapped a lot of water from the soil, hence the dead grass spots.

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  8. I would've been so sad about losing that tree, too, but I love what you did to it afterward. I've seen a lot of cute things at stores for gnome/fairy houses, so I would've done the same.

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