If a Tree Falls

The philosophical question for the month is, "If a tree falls in your side yard and nobody is home, does anyone notice?" Or perhaps more accurately, "If a tree falls in your side yard and nobody is home, how long does it take anyone to notice?"

Several weeks ago, I came home from work and thought that this tree in front of our house looked a little different. I stood and looked at it for a while, but couldn't really figure out what was different and gave up. How I knew anything at all was different, I can't say (see first picture). I just figured a branch had fallen or knocked down another one or something.


So a good week later (possibly longer), I actually looked into our side yard and noticed that an entire tree had fallen and hit the branches of the tree in front, thus making it look "different." This is a twenty or thirty foot tall tree. (See second pic with big, yellow arrow. I can't estimate height, or as the case would be now--length, with any accuracy.) Must have happened during the day while we were at work is all I can say, and luckily it went in the best direction possible! Just one of many examples of the truly odd, strange, and even bizarre stuff that happens at our house. (And yes, I know, the ivy is bad. I do what I can, but there is far too much of it for one person to deal with. Feel free to come help me try to contain it while cursing the neighbor who originally planted it.)