From Betty:

Last week a bucket truck and workers clad in day-glo vests carrying chainsaws were seen in the vicinity of GCW.

Instead of trimming weak branches and removing dead wood as I had hoped, her western trunk was cut off several feet above her roots. Huge chunks of wood, splinters, and bark now scatter the ground around her for many yards.

I feel a huge sense of sadness and loss at this action. The landscape and horizon here on our patch have been changed forever.

For some reason a part of her eastern trunk was allowed to remain, so a portion of her once magnificent crown still gathers in summer light through silver and green leaves.

It is not known if the men in chainsaws will return to finish the job and bring her completely down.

Her remaining lifespan and physical being have been severely curtailed, but her spirit endures.

I know she will continue to speak. Her wise and loving spirit cannot be destroyed, cannot be diminished or eradicated.