Sad news about oak

A rabbit was nosing around under the sakaki.  A squirrel went by with another four pecans.  A dove took a nap beside the birdbath.  The usual suspects visited the feeder. 

The pin oak tree that grew from a volunteer in the shrubbery at the corner of the driveway is mortally ill.  After leafing out this spring, the foliage on the driveway side turned brown.  This has slowly spread.  Brooks says the tree cannot be saved - it is in a decline from boring insects.  He pointed out sawdust at the base of the tree. 

It is always sad to lose a tree, but this one was ours.  I saw it when the acorn germinated and decided it was in a nice location between two big prickly bushes.  Eventually we took the bushes out because an idiot in a truck rammed the one on the other side of the driveway.  We replaced with azaleas and a crape myrtle, which will probably be delighted to have their day in the sun.  But that oak was the measure of our time here on this property and would have been our legacy to the street.  It also harbored mistletoe which may have weakened it but delighted me. 

This evening the cardinal family was back. the fledglings are so big that one on the feeder perch with dad was too heavy for the counterweight.  The dove brought friends for an evening nap.