I love trees.

Four big oak trees shade the southeast corner of our home. Their majesty adds character to the community. They make a kind of music as the evening breeze moves the leaves outside our upstairs bedroom window.

But the trunks are on the other side of our property line, so our trees do not belong to us. The new neighbors who have jurisdiction over these trees say they like trees, but they believe these oaks present a danger and a liability. An outraged neighbor from two doors down the street was telling me last night that these people don’t realize these are God’s trees and the new neighbors have no right to cut them down. But a chain saw is droning and a naked spot is opening up in the skyline.

This fall will be tree planting time on our side of the line. Perhaps one should be an oak.