#141 - To quote my husband, "with Malus Aforethought"

Today was a particularly tough day.  Bittersweet.  I just saw a quote from another collage artist that summed it up for me:

"A goodbye isn't painful unless you're never going to say hello again."

Today, we said goodbye to our two Malus Floribunda (this photo from 2006). 

 A 60 year old majestic pair of Japanese flowering crabapples (ok, one was 2/3rd of the canopy and the other, quite diseased and only one third of it). When we first moved in, they were both large already, and created this amazing shade in the front of the house.  I remember those first years when the boys were young, and the bees would so overrun the trees in the spring that once you stepped outside the house, all you heard was "HUMMMMMM."  It was glorious.  I would always judge the state of climate change based on the amount of bees flocking to pollinate the tree each spring.

Fast forward to many years later, and a good third of the larger tree was overhanging our roof substantially.  They were too close to the house, and as we are about to redo the front landscaping, they had to go.

My husband apologized profusely to the trees last night, and I pet them and cried.  Before, during and after their swift removal.  I did look up how to honor a tree you were essentially killing, and so I said a few prayers to the tree, and blessed it for providing us so much happiness in its life.  We chose to save 4 rounds of cuts from the base, as well as about 6 pieces of assorted large branches, each about 8-10 inches in diameter, and about one and a half feet long.  I'm not sure what we'll do with them, but we'll move them to the backyard, to rest among the garden, along with several pieces of walnut from the dead tree that was there when we first moved in.

And as we plan to plant a few more trees, one of them may be another Malus.

#140 - I know why Inee wore housecoats

I have to confess:  I like not having to wear clothes.  Not that I am suggesting I'm a nudist.  Or would EVER want to go to a nudist colony.  No way!

Let me take a step back and explain.  My dear grandma Inez was lovingly referred to always as Inee, part of the necessary one word spoken quickly and usually together: Inee and Papa Louie (nee Louis, but always said in the french tone, never LEWIS but always LOUIE).  Inee often wore housecoats and slippers around their small one bedroom apartment in the Near North Side Budlong Woods neighborhood of Chicago.  She was a retail clerk and got me my first job.  He was a bricklayer and tuckpointer, and after his blue collar workday was over, would come home and often sit around just in his one piece cream colored long johns.  Inee would change into her housecoat and slippers and I'm guessing neither one wore much of anything else underneath.

Well, we got a hot tub during the pandemic (didn't everyone?).  I fought getting one, but the hubby really wanted one for his muscle issues, and so I relented.  Wasn't even going to go look at them, saying "I'll probably not use it too often, so you choose."  He insisted I come along to make sure I would like it.

We lucked into getting a brand new one that was a canceled order (and so we didn't have to wait the requisite 15 weeks that orders were taking at that time).  It was installed within a month, and boy, I ate my words after that first week.  I LOVE that tub.  I probably use it more than he does. Usually at least two times a day.  Sometimes three times, and once in a while, maybe even four.  And we'll often pop in during the non-summer months when it's late afternoon and getting cooler out. We always go au naturale.  Unless we have guests and then we are "forced" to put on our bathing suits.  So when it's just us, yes, we're just in our birthday suits.

And after I get out, and put on my "spa robe" (yes, we bought 2 for us, and 2 for our "guests" when they come), and my spa slippers, well, I just don't want to put any real clothes on again.  Not until bedtime, and then sometimes, I'll just sleep in my robe.  It's liberating and I love not having to put on a bra, and just let it all air dry under there.

So, now I understand why Inee wore housecoats.