R.I.P. Tree

The Tucson monsoons hit pretty hard this year and one of the first storms knocked over the mesquite tree in my front yard. :( As you can see in the picture, it didn't fall over completely, but the wind was strong enough to uproot the tree and force it leaning.  Leaning Tower of Treesa let's call it, heh.

Fortunately, the tree wasn't in danger of falling into the house and if it did fall over completely, it'd probably just roll into my neighbors driveway.  I contemplated on what to do with the tree.  Do I save it or just remove it?  The tree doesn't provide enough shade to cool the house down (unlike the two in my backyard that are big enough), so it was there purely for aesthetic value. 

This tree also required the most trimming of any of my trees.  My neighbor would come over to my house and ask me to trim it since it extended over and into his yard.  If not trimmed, it would sometimes blocked vision of his house from the street.  Apparently one day, a car was parked on his driveway and broken into, and he blamed it on the tree being able to "cover" that area and make it easier for criminals to get away without being seen.  So as a result, I would trim the tree at least once a year and haul the branches over to a nearby dumpster.

As you know, I'm all about convenience, and it just didn't seem convenient to save the tree and sign myself up for more annual chores.  One of my friends has a friend in the tree removal service, so they were able to come by and remove the tree for $150.  I thought the asking price was pretty reasonable and they even complied with my request to chop up the tree so that I could have some firewood. :) Thanks to Matt for that idea.

So anyway, R.I.P. tree.  You will be missed but I guess life will go on!