A Moment of Silence

I have had a love/hate relationship with an Ilex opaca, a.k.a. Holly, for over a decade.  I loved her because in the winter birds nested in her and ate her little red berries. I really enjoyed sitting on the front porch and watching the birds fly in and out of the tree.  However, that was the only thing that I could see.  I hated that Holly blocked the view from the front porch as well as the view of the front door from the street.  She made me feel claustrophobic.  I don't like killing things so for many years I just left Holly where she was, but I have had enough.  I tried to find a new home for Holly, but there wasn't really anywhere to put her so I decided to just remove her. 

The boy offered to help and I am not one to turn away free labor.  We started by trimming Holly so that her leaves wouldn't prick the boy.  Holly thought she was just getting a trim, but I knew what was coming.  I felt so guilty, but finally the boy had had enough and very emphatically told me, "Mom!! If you apologize to the tree one more time, I am not helping you!!"  So I stopped talking to the tree.

 

 

Holly did not go down easy.  

 

The boy really had to put his back into it.

 



 

Actually he really had to put an axe into it.

 



 

But finally Holly succumbed to the boy's determination, brute strength and sharp objects.

 



 

I am actually really happy with how things turned out.  The front is much more open now.  It looks clean and neat and my view isn't blocked anymore.  I love it!  A moment of silence for Holly.