This morning, John and I heard a really weird noise – sounded like gravel or something sliding and then stopping. We both thought it might be something sliding down the roof, but when we went outside to look, nothing was at all amiss. (Hah – finally found a way to use the word ‘amiss’ – LOL) So John left for work, and a while later I was outside with the dogs, and they were both tentatively investigating the far corner of the lot. Since they don’t usually go over there, I decided to see what they were curious about.

About halfway there I stopped and said, “Oh!” Yup – figured out what the noise was – a huge limb had cracked off this large live oak tree in the far corner of our side pasture. The gravelly sound must have been the leaves shaking, and it didn’t make a huge crack or thud because the limb was already bent over close to the ground.

It landed on our wooden fence – mostly straddling it, although I could see some splintered boards in between the covering foliage. The trunk of the branch is probably about 4 feet around, or two feet in diameter. I wonder if the excessive heat over the last few days weakened (dried?) the wood so that it couldn’t support its own weight anymore. (Or maybe the cows performed a secret bovine ritual so they could feast on the leaves – the dried grass/hay around here is getting pretty thin!)

I just told the landlord a little while ago that the trailer he’d been storing on the side road here collapsed. Now I have to tell him about this! On the plus side, however, oak makes really good firewood!