Fallen Oak Provided Lifetime Of Memories

Fallen Oak Provided Lifetime Of Memories MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous When a large bur oak planted by my great grandfather was taken down last year by derecho winds it was an emotional event for my family A derecho is a fast moving straight-line wind storm and it was the worst wind I’ve ever experienced We totaled up the value the tree generated for several generations of Gogertys My great grandfather planted the tree in 1863 Later settlers stopped to admire it as it was the only tree standing tall amid the prairie grass Later its 90-ft crown of limbs and leaves sheltered wildlife and provided shade During years when the tree’s acorn production was good two generations of Gogerty kids gathered and sold the acorns to a neighbor who fed them to his hogs Seasonal fallen branches were sold to make canes and cattle prods and used as fuel for cook stoves Fortunately when the ancient landmark fell it didn’t cause any damage to our farm buildings The wood provided fireplace fuel and my son Tom even converted some of the wood into plate-size medallions for local farmers market collectors To make the medallions he placed 3 to 5-in dia branches in a vise and carefully sawed them into 3/4-in thick sections The bark-rimmed epoxy-sealed medallions have back-to-back photos of the ancient oak on one side and ‘greetings of the season’ on the other side Tom has made a few medallions for family and friends and says he’s willing to make more for anyone who’s interested Rex Gogerty 33475 K Ave Hubbard Iowa 50122 ph 641 487-7617; rexgogerty@gmail com

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