I have a beautiful tree at my house in the front yard, but I have never climbed it yet. Maybe someday. I would never want it to break down or get struck by lightning because it is so beautiful.
I grew up in Quincy, IL and when you reach the 4th grade, on Arbor Day, each child is presented with a tree to take home and plant in their family's yard.
When I was a kid, I lived on an 80-acre abandoned orchard in Michigan with mature oak woods and pine groves. The white pine trees were probably 30 years old.
Fifteen years ago I made a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and received a bag of 10 blue spruce "sticks." They sure didn't look like much!
I grew up on Main Street in Lisle. My grandpa worked and my grandparents lived in The Morton Arboretum, so trees were a big part of my life!
I was truly caught up in the spirit of my first Arbor Day celebration. I needed a tree to plant between my driveway and my neighbor's.
