My GPS Camera Phone

Something seems a little off with this picture. I can’t quite place it…

It’s fitting that my wife took this photo because it pretty much sums up who she is: strong, solid and majestic as an oak, but not like the other oaks. And that’s why I love her so much. Who wants to marry a plain old oak anyway? Not me.

Photo credit: Nancy

There’s this giant Sweetgum tree in the yard that sheds it’s leaves every Fall. It’s a beautiful tree that’s survived a major beating from the hurricanes a few years ago. It was given a healthy trimming by high winds, but all of the limbs landed in my back yard, leaving me a lot of cleanup work. In spite of the beauty and my admiration of it’s resiliency, I have three major problems with this tree:

1. It drops all of the leaves every year
2. It drops “spiky dingleball fruits” that are capable of impaling your foot
3. It drops pollen-covered, petal-less blooms everywhere

This tree pretty much sucks. However, it is a nice looking tree, providing a lot of shade in my yard. And cutting it down would run me about $1,500 USD. I’m on the fence with what to do about it, but for now it shall live and I will continue happily raking up this mess three times a year. I have to admit, though, that even the dead leaves are attractive in their own way. That sneaky Mother Nature…preservation through beauty.

More information on the Liquidambar styraciflua

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