We lived through a BIG storm in Puget Sound last week: snow, ice, wind and today black ice on the roads.

When talking with friends, the first topic was always, “Got power?” But after that the litany of loss took precedence. And at the top of that list? Trees.

“We lost the apple tree,” friends say wistfully. “Bethy would always go sit in the crook of that tree when she was mad, upset. Now the tree is down and destroyed.” Bethy is now a woman in her mid-twenties.

Trees provide shade, shelter for our creatures and a sense of home. We measure our time through their growth.

The maple tree I gave my husband for Valentine’s Day 18 years ago survived, but lost a branch.

The memorial tree planted after my dad died, didn’t appear to even bend through all the raging weather. Come to think of it, Dad never did either.

(S-R archives photo)

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