Growing up with our tree

Our son Artie, who was three years old at the time, and I planted an acorn that I had found in our backyard. We protected it from mice and deer over the years and watched it grow. We wrapped tree protectors around the trunk, and as it got bigger we put fencing around it and then mesh on top of the fencing. Artie liked watching the oak tree get bigger. Our son is now 36 years old and has three little boys of his own. At one time we had a swing on one of the bigger branches for his little boys. Our whole family --my wife Margie and another son Bobby--have also enjoyed watching the tree grow. As it changes color in fall,  the leaves turn a pretty reddish-orange. This year, when we visited the Arboretum to see the Trolls, we bought a troll face, which now adorns the tree and faces our windows so we see it all the time.