Wind In The Trees

Having been born and raised in Lakewood, I have always appreciated the City of Trees! However, now that many of those beautiful oaks, maples, sycamores and yes, a few elms have grown old, we are sadly forced to have them cut down. It seems that almost every day you can hear the sound of the chain saws and chippers on any Lakewood street.

We were faced with that very decision this summer when our 200 year old pin oak was declared a hazard and we made arrangements to have it removed. My husband, Jeff, and the four kids and I were saddened to be losing an old friend who sheltered our front porch, was leaned upon by many a child counted to ten during a game of hide-and-seek and was often bruised by a soup can during a riotous game of kick-the-can.

How to best save those memories? Having attended a chain saw carving festival in Pennsylvania a few years ago, I made it my mission to find a carver who would come to Lakewood and make the tree stump into something permanent. After searching the net, Pat and Jack from Sugar Ridge Carving in Kidron, Ohio, arrived to carve the stump into a tree with a wind-spirit face. We are happy to say that it is now complete and is a source of interest for all who pass by. But more than that, it allows us to still enjoy our oak. Maybe this is our small way of "going green," saving part of our natural heritage of old trees.

For anyone interested in seeing the carving, just drive by on Fischer Rd. Don't honk or even say anything...just enjoy!