Hurricane Michael blew through today. Michael made this probably the most memorable birthday I’ll ever have, but, more importantly, it bulldozed a heartbreaking path of destruction across a huge portion of the Florida panhandle I have come to know and love. I have a few photos of the aftermath in my neighborhood which I will post soon, when the power is restored, but I just wanted to mark the occasion tonight.
Here is a video of the pines in my backyard swaying in the Tropical Storm-force winds blowing in the storm’s wake. These trees stood long before I was born. They stood tall through Hurricanes Michael, Hermine, and Kate, just to name the direct hits; bent but never broken. They lost a sister tree in Hermine, but continue to smile down on our home, which is really their home. I love these trees fiercely. Their strength and resiliency can be an inspiration, I hope, for all of us in the difficult days ahead. When the complaints about trees and power outages start–and they will, very soon–these mighty pines will remind me why we value trees in Tallahassee, and why we choose to live with them.
C.B. Crenshaw 