The Old Maple Tree is Now a Memory

 

The clean-up crew, left to right-Steve, Sue, Paul. My brother Don in front. Photo by Jerry Apps/

In 1912, the Coombes family, who owned Roshara before us, built new farm buildings across the township road from where they were originally.  They planted a windbreak of black willow trees and at the north end of the windbreak, they planted a maple tree.

When we bought the farm in 1966, the maple tree was more than 50 years old, and a nice shade tree.  The tree had four trunks, each growing from ground level from the same root system.  As the years passed, one of the trunks grew considerably larger than the other three.  By 2020, this trunk was probably 30 inches in diameter and eighty or more feet tall.  But rather than grow straight up, each year it grew a bit more at an angle.

To make matters worse, it was leaning over one of my machine sheds.  My brother Darrel, each time he visited me at the farm said, “Jerry, that old maple is gonna fall on your shed.  And no telling how much damage it will do.”

Darrel was right.  It was only a matter of time—a stiff wind, an ice storm, and down it would go.  So, I hired Gabe’s, a tree company from Wild Rose to cut it down, all four trunks.

On a cool Saturday, my clean up crew hauled away the brush and began piling the blocks, which we will split for firewood.  It was a sad and happy day.  Sad, because my family spent many hours in the shade of that big old maple.  Happy—my machine shed is spared.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A shade tree can be like an old friend.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS AND DVDS.

My newest books are WHEN THE WHITE PINE WAS KING: A HISTORY OF LUMBERJACKS, LOG DRIVES, AND SAWDUST CITIES IN WISCONSIN. CHEESE THE MAKING OF A WISCONSIN TRADITION (2^nd Edition), and THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A WRITING JOURNAL.

My books are available at your local bookstore, online from bookshop.org, or from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s. Say hello to Jana and Dave, and look at their great selection of my books or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.