My Magnolia

This is my magnolia tree. I received this tree for Christmas from my grandparents when I was about 7 years old. I am sure as you read this, you are thinking that is a nice gift. Keep in mind I was not some super Earth-conscious kid. Now, imagine your cousins got a trampoline that year, and you got a tree. In my grandparents' defense, my mother told them that my sister and I wanted trees. I think we all know that really it was my mother who wanted two trees. My sister's was a weeping willow. It died.

At the age of 26, I really like my tree.

In honor of all of this, we thought it would be nice if Frances Harper had a tree. But, I wanted to spare her the disappointment of receiving it as a Christmas gift. 

This is Frances Harper's tree, a Newport Plum. While it looks pretty small in the picture, it is about 5 feet tall right now and will grow rapidly. My mom planted it up near the end of her driveway. As it gets bigger, my dad is going to build a bench to go under it, and Frances Harper can sit there while she waits on the bus. (Michael and I will eventually move over here, so this is where she will be catching the bus.)

Now, we just have to keep it alive.