No, it’s not Arbor Day. Nor is it Earth Day. But it is definitely a tree-mendous day here at Maples at the Sonatas. It’s a perfect day to hug a tree, as Dave demonstrates.

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When I got up this morning and looked out a window, I couldn’t believe what I saw. “OK, who ordered the forest?” I asked my cat. She just stared at me.

Of course, it was our builder, Wilcox Communities, who ordered the forest—or, to be more precise, 40 trees. They are being planted in several locations around the neighborhood today. Here is one going in.

The majority of the trees will be planted behind our latest addition, Building 3. Here are some of them waiting their turn.

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In a complete coincidence of timing, today was also the day scheduled for our homeowners to put up our outdoor Christmas lights. No, we don’t turn them on until late in the month, but we like to get them up early. It is already cold enough today, not to mention a rumor of snow coming next week.

We weren’t outside too long, though. Bob had everything well organized, and we had a lot of help. More than a dozen people pitched in to string lights on 12 trees. Of course, working together made it fun too. Here we are in the process.

I can’t wait until Thanksgiving night, when Bob will flip the switch for the first time and we will all enjoy the beauty that we created today.