DUDE!! You sneaky devil. I had no idea you had been posting here on Steemit! Congratulations! I really wish I had known -- I could've been upvoting and resteeming your posts to get you more attention.
About the trees. It really is a tragedy to see tall, healthy trees being cut down. They offer so many advantages, such as shade from the hot sun, a windbreak, curb appeal, air purification, and on and on. Washington has 265 Ash trees scheduled to be cut down due to the Emerald Ash Borer infestation. It's such a shame. I joined the Tree Committee to help be a part of tree giveaways and planting projects around the community. You should see if Champaign has a similar committee. I'm sure they do.
I'm gonna resteem this post and try to get you some more traffic on your blog.
Edit: For some reason my resteem button is gone... not sure if I've resteemed too much or what, but I'm gonna help you get noticed.