There was an elm tree in my childhood front yard. I loved her the way kids love their moms. In the summer, I would spend hours sitting by her, leaning against her trunk, hugging her, reading and telling her everything in my life.

When Dutch Elm Disease hit, she was tagged by the city to be cut down. Every day after school, I ripped off the tag. Every day, the tag was placed higher, until I couldn’t reach it. I screamed and cried when she was cut down - it still hurts. I spent weeks sitting by her stump, apologizing for not stopping the killers.

As an adult, I fell in love with an apricot tree in my back yard. I named her Apollonia. She’s magical, and I thought I’d be there with her until I died, but we had to move last month. I took a small branch from her last prune to keep with me forever.