Under the Old Oak Tree:: Keeping Your Distance 19

We have a very large oak tree in our back yard.

Can you see it looming over our house?

It's perhaps the largest tree in our neighborhood.  There are few oak trees, and I haven't seen one bigger,

It's relatively healthy (I think - I have failed to receive my tree doctor certification), but it occasionally loses branches.  Some thud against our metal roof, then slide down into the back yard, or stay on the roof until they can be swept off.

A couple years ago, one branch poked a small hole on the roof of our screened-in porch.  We were able to patch that up.

We have a lot of oak leaves in the back yard.  Sometimes we rake them up.  Sometimes we don't.  I'm not a yard care fanatic.  I must say, our yard looks better than ever - a positive side effect of the quarantine.  Sorry, neighbors - don't expect it to be a permanent change.

The oak tree drops a lot of acorns.  This attracts a lot of squirrels.  This is very entertaining for the dogs.  They don't catch them, though.  They are about as effective as Wiley E Coyote is with the Road Runner.  Boss-A-Man is particularly ineffective, as he loudly barks as he's headed outside, giving the squirrels plenty of notice.

The quarantine is giving us a better appreciation for where we live.

There are many frustrating things about the OCVID-19 crisis.

For me, being at home more is not one of them.