Tree stump and sawdust are all that remain of this tree that was cut down the other day. One day last week after a bit of wind I noticed this tree had been partially uprooted and was leaning out into the street, threatening to fall on a shiny new silver Volkswagen Golf. I remember wondering if there was someone I should call. The next day, the three was gone. I still wonder who was responsible for that—the city or the person who owned the house the tree stood in front of. Who does that strip between the curb and the sidewalk belong to? At my old house in IL I had a huge tree in this strip of no-man's-land in front of my house, but lucky for me, the street was part of a fire lane so the city maintained all trees overhanging the street to make sure the street was always clear and open for fire trucks to pass. It was lucky because the tree seemed to need a lot of help. It was so big they had to install several huge cables up in its top branches to hold it together. It was great for making shade, but not so great every fall when it shed its leaves. The city made sure the tree didn't fall down, but I still had to rake the leaves.