My Favorite Tree

In my backyard. This winter was a difficult one storm wise for this area on the Northern California Coast. Usually at least once a winter or more we get 60 to 100 mile per hour winds off the ocean that knock down many trees (sometimes on top of houses or vehicles or people) and this El Nino Winter was no exception to this regular winter and early spring occurance.

However, this winter was sort of sad for me because a volunteer pine tree that I had nurtured since it was about 4 inches high was now 15 to 20 feet high and because it grew up next to an ornamental Japanese maple tree didn't put out limbs on that side of it so it could grow faster. Kind of the thinking of a teenager who is all into going fast and not planning for the future much. So when the winds hit on the no limb side one day the tree went down and I was sad. So I had two choices, either cut the tree off completely or top it and winch it back up so it would still be about 10 feet tall and be able to live or cut it down completely and haul it away. I didn't have the heart to kill the little tree I had nurtured and watched grow from my hut tub right next to it since it was 4 inches tall so I topped it and winched it back up and tied it to the trunk of the Japanese maple right next to it. I left the rope there these last 4 months hoping that the little pine  would throw out a new root system on the torn root side and thrive.

So, the other day while sitting in the hot tub the trees let me know they were done with the rope pulling on both of them and wanted to be free. So I got out my Braveheart replica Claymore and tried to cut the rope with it but since it is an ornamental claymore battle sword and not a sharpened one this didn't work. So I got out my 4 1/2 inch blade locking dragon knife built on the model of the most common Buck knife and made in China and since the blade is very sharp this one did the trick. And any fantasies I had of cutting a 3/4 inch diameter rope  with my Braveheart Claymore ornamental unsharpened sword were now long gone.

But to my amazement the little tree that I topped 4 months ago stood strong and must have replaced the roots torn off with new ones. I felt both trees breathe a sigh of relief.

By the way if you want an ornamental Braveheart Sword from the movie like the one Mel Gibson used too they sell them at Scottish Games events nationwide or online. In fact you might find one to buy online if you key in scottish games in the U.S. or elsewhere.

For around the last 10 years since they started making things like this in Pakistan as working with stainless steel well became more common, I was able to get a Braveheart Claymore Sword with an over the shoulder scabbord for under 125 dollars. I had priced them at Renaissance Faires and Scottish Games before but they were about 500 dollars previously. At 125 dollars I could actually rationalize the expenditure.

So, I'm very happy my little tree survived and the top limbs left are rising higher and growing longer and you don't notice so much now that the tree has been topped. And it is less likely to be blown down in future storms.