SO ABOUT THAT TREE

YOU KNOW THE ONE, THAT ONE OVER THERE. WITH THE BIG OLD KNOT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRUNK AT EYE LEVEL. IT NEVER HAS LEAVES ON MORE THAN 40% OF ITS BRANCHES EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER HAS BEEN OPTIMAL FOR TREES OF ITS TYPE IN THIS CLIMATE.

IT’S PRETTY OLD AS FAR AS TREES GO AROUND HERE, AT LEAST FIFTY YEARS BY MY BEST GUESS. IT’S SURVIVED A FEW PRETTY BAD STORMS OVER THE DECADES, YOU CAN SEE WHERE LARGE LIMBS HAD CRACKED OFF HERE AND THERE ALONG THE TRUNK.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE KIND OF TREE THAT BIRDS WOULD NEST IN BUT THERE REALLY AREN’T ANY BIRDS NESTS TO BE SEEN. SOMETIMES THERE ARE SQUIRRELS. SOMETIMES THE SQUIRRELS NOTICE ME NOTICING THEM. I PLAY IT COOL WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND THEY GO ABOUT THEIR SQUIRREL BUSINESS.

THERE SHOULD BE MORE GRASS GROWING AROUND THE BASE THAN THERE IS. IT’S NOT BARREN AND IT WOULDN’T BE EXPECTED TO BE SUPER LUSH BUT LIKE THERE’S NOT AS MUCH GRASS AS I THINK THERE SHOULD BE AND THAT’S WEIRD RIGHT

ALSO EVERY TIME I TRY SETTING UP AN OBSERVATION CAMPSITE TO MONITOR THE TREE I GET TOLD TO LEAVE WITHIN HOURS BY THE “HOMEOWNER” WHO CLAIMS THE TREE IS ON “THEIR PROPERTY” AND I SHOULD “GET LOST BEFORE THE COPS GET HERE”. JACKBOOT.

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I TRY GRABBING PASSERSBY BY THE SHOULDERS AND SHAKING BACK AND FORTH YELLING ABOUT THAT WEIRD TREE, NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT I SEE

I YELL AND POINT AND CURSE THE TREE AND IT DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE

AT LEAST ALL THESE DELICIOUS MUSHROOMS I FOUND SEEM TO BE NON-POISONOUS.

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