Forty years ago, before we had children, we had a newly planted ash tree. The children came later and grew with the tree. The tree grew tall and wide, and it shaded our patio from the hot afternoon sun. Our children grew older and one by one left the home but the ash stayed with us, giving us the shade we needed. Then sadly, the emerald ash borer came to town. Each year we removed dead branches from the tree, knowing that the tree's end was near. Finally we had to have the ash taken down. It was a painful day as we watched it come down, remembering all the good years. We could not bear the thought of not seeing that mighty tree any longer so we decided to leave five feet of the tree and create a garden around it. Our Ash had a new purpose, and this garden has become our favorite.
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