New tree.

Mr. Philbin asks if I'm going to post a photo of the new tree. He hinted in a way that seemed to indicate I would be letting down the side if I didn't, having dragged you all through the traumatic loss my thundercloud plum through old age and black knot, then through the pulling out of the stump with chains and the final removal of the stump itself via root & stump picker, leaving a large hole that remained unfilled for weeks. 

I said Sir, you insult me. I left out many of these grim details when I told the story. But yes, I will invite readers to see the new red maple I put in the hole last week. And here it is. 

I know it's kind of underwhelming. Even the hole looks bad. 

The hole will be improved when I get some more dirt and some mulch this week. The tree, well -- time takes time. 

I have gotten some good plants from the big garden chains, but in this case I wanted to go to a local place with a good reputation. You know what that means: 💸💸💸 But it was worth it. The tree is more than six feet tall now, and was trained with an eight-foot-long bamboo stick, so it's straight as an arrow. Its leaves are fresh and stuck on pretty well. I won't say I got a bargain, but if it lasts as long as the other maples nearby, it could be amortized to a few bucks a year. Well worth it for the shade, the water and soil retention, and the beautification of the property. Holes in the ground usually don't lead to better property value, unless they're small and on the putting greens.

My wife winced when I told her that this hole project (har!) cost about $400, beginning to end, and it didn't make me want to jump up and cheer either. But, c'est la tree. Only God can make a tree, says Mr. Kilmer, but it was up to me to buy the thing.