i could have cried

last summer the city announced it would be paving the small connector street on our north, along with several others. we attended meetings etc, let it be known that we were not in favor of this project. keep in mind there is a big difference between being reasonable and being happy. this spring they started. we had a visit from the city manager to talk about our trees. lss - they all had to come down. 8:00 the next morning the crew was already at work.
even though you know something is going to happen and you know the outcome will be unpleasant you're still somewhat unprepared for that first glimpse of the final reality.

i could have cried when i came home from work that night. 5 huge white pines - gone.
3 scrubberish pines - gone. a big hardwood - gone. one of the features that attracted us to this property in the first place - gone. any sense of privacy we enjoyed - gone. our buffer from the north wind, traffic noise, lights, exhaust fumes - gone. a variety of birds nesting in these trees - gone.
and we have the privilege of paying for it all - for the NEXT TEN YEARS.