Mourning a Loss

I'm mourning the loss of two huge ficus trees that used to shade the central courtyard where I live.  They were taken down as a precaution against some of the storms we've been hit with recently.  We had one of those storms a few weeks ago that caused some severe damage to homes and apartments in the east valley.  Inspectors decided that these two trees were possible targets for what are called micro-bursts that cause severe damage.  

I understand the need for safety and damage control but I have to admit this made me very sad.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  I see that someone else placed some flowers on the tree stump left behind.  When I saw the flowers I thought "my sentiments exactly".

 I'm glad I took that photo of the trees stump and flowers (above) when I did on Sunday because yesterday they were grinding up the stumps with this serious looking machine.

I've been told that the grounds will soon have some new trees which is good news.  However, it will take a very long time for new trees to reach the scale of the trees that were lost.