See the tree, how big it’s grown

Here is the downside to having a beautiful Bradford pear tree in your front yard. It probably won’t stand up to wind and ice, or any combination of the two.

Last night we learned the hard way how fragile the pear tree is.  A big section of it came crashing down on our roof about 10 p.m. 

When we ran outside to assess the damage, my wife hit the ice on the driveway and went down hard, as well.  She bounced back up, but our tree appears to be down and out, maybe for good. 

This is the second — and probably last — time a section of our tree has come down. Wind brought a third of it down two years ago.

We’ve decided to have the remaining sections of the tree taken out.  It was a tiny thing when I brought it home in the trunk of my car in 1994.

 We know that our loss is tiny compared to what thousands have endured throughout the state during this ice storm. 

 But everyone in our family will still mourn the loss, especially our children, ages 11 and 9. They are both pleading with us not to take it out.

Jim Stafford
Business Writer  

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