My neighbor Maryann is a tree-lover. I know this not only from our discussions about The Overstory (a wonderful novel about our relationship to trees), but because she planted and nurtured a tree here on the grounds of our condo complex. Maryann babied that tree, watering it religiously and fussing over it when Japanese beetles attacked. But the tree struggled, and after our Valentine's Day ice storm, slowly began to die.
But one day this spring I looked out and...the tree was thriving! Filled with blossoms! A miracle, but not the one I thought. One night, Maryann's partner snuck out, dug out the dead tree, and planted a new one in the same spot.
We now have a beautiful new tree, and a love story that grows along with it.