Ed's Burning Bush (Euonymus Alatus)

Ysarex

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We bought this house in 1993 from Fran and Ed. Fran grew up in this house along with 5 brothers and sisters. When she married Ed they added the second floor and turned it into an apartment. Ed moved in and Fran and Ed lived there taking care of Fran's special needs brother. But there are stairs up to the house and stairs in the house and they became a problem for Fran's aging knees. So Fran and Ed moved 6 doors up the street to a newer house that was single story and with no front stairs. This house went up for sale. Fran was born, lived and died on our street.

Once we moved in my wife started to transform the front and back yards. She lives to garden. In our front yard was a Euonymus Alatus commonly called a burning bush because of the deep red it turns in the Fall. As a botanist my wife knows her invasive species and she soon proclaimed the burning bush had to go. But before we cut it down Fran came walking by (she only lived 6 doors up the street). By this time Fran was showing signs of Alzheimer's. Usually she managed to go for a walk and get back to the right house but sometimes she would come to our door and we'd help her home. Fran would go on and on about how she loved that burning bush and did we know Ed had planted it for the two of them. So much for cutting it down -- that would be cruel and very unhelpful given Fran's dementia.

Ed out lived Fran by 1/2 a dozen years and by the time Ed passed the burning bush had doubled in size. We couldn't cut it down with Ed living just 6 doors up the street once we knew he had planted it for his wife. Well another 15 years have passed and that burning bush is still here -- sentence commuted.

Leica SL w/35mm Biogon.

burning-bush.jpg
 
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Cool backstory.
 
Love it! Thank you for sharing this awesome story with us. I love how nature can intertwine us like this. :586:
 
They're very bright this year north of the border. This one is a fave bird hangout near the feeders, especially in winter.

BBa.jpg
 
Great story behind the shot.
 

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