Little maple sapling growing straight, tall

We moved into our new house in Elk Grove in 1976. The ash tree in the parkway was a little crooked, so I staked a rope to help it grow straight. It didn’t make much difference. I watched that tree grow at an angle for 30 years. In 2008, two weeks of heavy rains and a big wind storm caused the tree to fall on a car. We lost a lot of trees in our neighborhood. The village took my fallen tree away and replaced it with a little stick.

Today, the sun is shining. All the ash trees have lost their leaves, but my little maple is ablaze in red. The trunk is straight and plumb. I think they got it right this time. People like to complain about the government. I’ll just say thanks to the village, and keep up the good work.

Gary Robisch

Elk Grove Village