Seriously. I think that’s what this chameleon wanted to say. His eyes followed us as we approached and were peering at him. Then Devin put his finger up against the glass and the critter lifted his front legs off of the branch and seemed to turn them beseechingly toward us. He kept grasping at the glass as we stood there. It was all done in such a slow and fragile manner. I’m always applying human feelings to creatures, where the don’t really belong. But this little fella really did seem to be imploring us to help him break out of his confinement. I felt a little bit sad as we walked away.

So yeah. That’s all that’s left of the only tree in our backyard.

Half of it fell into our yard during a windstorm several years ago. Just minutes after Juliette and I came inside from goofing around right by said tree. I heard this creepy sound and looked out the window to see a huge branch stretching across the yard and onto our deck.

A few years later, the other half landed in our neighbors’ yard. During another windy, rainy event.

All shade was gone from our backyard. All that was left of the poor, sad tree was a jagged mess at the top.

The next year, some suckers started to grow on the tree. An awkward branch grew out of one of them and I gloried in a small patch of shade. The branch got big. Then it, too, fell off.

The other day Scott was mowing and noticed that the tree had a crack in it. So there ya go. All of the signs were there. The poor thing wanted to be put out of its pain. So now it’s part of the fence. And we’re back to a shadeless yard.

I told Scott tonight that I miss my tree. He laughed. But it’s true. I miss the sad ol’ thing.

After the cool spring morning warmed into a deliciously sunny afternoon, it felt wonderful to take off my shoes and kick back in our front yard when I got home from work. With the advent of the lovely weather, we’ve also been seeing more of our neighbors. A few weeks ago I met this little guy, who lives two houses down. His family moved into the neighborhood in December, but the snow and cold often keep people behind doors around here. The past several weeks, though, we’ve watched him toddling down the sidewalk — and heard him singing happily to his mom while they played in the yard. I love spring.

When I left work the other night, something seemed different. I was walking across the parking lot as I always do. Then it dawned on me. It wasn’t dark outside! It was 5:00 and there was still a slice of light lingering in the sky. The simple fact that the days are getting longer puts some optimism in my attitude. I struggle to be cheery during January and February when the grey dominates the sky and slushy snow dominates the sidewalk. Knowing we’re moving toward spring, slowly but surely, makes a big difference in my outlook.