The Apple Tree . . .

In the middle distance of the backyard stands an apple tree. For years it blossomed and bore fruit, a surprisingly decent harvest of small apples in the late summer and fall. It was sturdy, with two main trunks splitting away from each other about two feet up from the ground. When our oldest daughter was young, we had a swing tied onto one thick outreaching limb that grew horizontally toward the house. The swing came down one day when its rope snapped and our daughter fell; she was likely...