A Kind Word About My Tree

At the far end of town where the grickle grass grows..."

When Jorge was a mere tyke his favorite book was The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. It was read daily for so long we had it memorized.

Eleven years ago during a major downsizing I fell in love with a wreck of a house with an 80 year old Chinese elm in the wreck of a backyard. The tree reminded me of The Lorax. The poor elm had been badly pruned, and then not pruned at all for some time. Though neglected, it exuded a regal air and a sturdy elegance.

Through the years and yearly pruning, the elm has taken on a lovely shape with sinewy long limbs that umbrella the entire backyard of Casa Grande in a cooling shade throughout the summer. It's too big to photograph in one frame due to it's shape and the tightness of the space around it. The trunk at it's base looks like the torso of a woman standing contrapposto. (I read somewhere that trees and humans share 50% of their DNA.)


The elm also provides a fair amount of privacy. With it's arms leafed out from March through November, the yard beneath the tree is not visible on Google Earth.