Vintage Thursday ~Tree~

This is probably the oldest thing that we own.

It is a Horse Chestnut tree, and grows in our yard. It still has green leaves right now, but in late November, it turns a rich gold.

This is a picture of it in the springtime when it is full of blossoms.

Below is a vintage photo of our street about 100 years ago. I drew a little arrow pointing to our tree. It was probably already close to 100 years old at this time. I can pinpoint it because the tree in front of it that is leaning out was also ours, and was cut down by the power company a few years ago.

Most people call it a "Buckeye Tree" because it looks like one.. and produces those nuts that look like buckeyes. But it has 7 leaves, where a true Buckeye has only 5.

My mom used to tell me she remembered being a girl and walking past this tree after school and picking up the buckeyes. She did not live in town, but it made an impression on her because it was such an unusual tree. It had four trunks growing together. That was over 70 years ago. Of course it still has all four trunks.
Teachers from the school will sometimes bring their classes down for walks on field trips, and stop to ask us if they can pick up the nuts. Of course.. they can take as many as they want! Their novelty has long worn off for us. You cannot eat them, but they are very pretty and interesting. The Buckeye is Ohio's State tree.

When the nuts fall to the ground, they look like this.. covered with a sharp prickly hull..

Eventually the hull falls off...
and reveals a beautiful shiny "buckeye"..
They cover the ground, and are almost a nuiscance..

But people love them. I hope our tree lasts for many more years. In fact, I hope I'm not even around any more when it has to come down.

For more Vintage Thingies Thursday posts, please visit Lisa at Confessions of an Apron Queen.

Hope you are all having a lovely almost last day of October.