We prefer the trees of East Texas to the near desert conditions in parts of West Texas. They are worth driving through primarily to get to the mountains with cooler climes and taller trees.

But lately those trees have been wreaking havoc, with some residents spending upwards of a week without electricity, or suffering through several rounds of power outages thanks to the unholy mix of high winds and trees.

The gargantuan effort by the electric companies to literally rebuild the electrical system throughout East Texas has been remarkable to watch from afar. At one point the crew members addressing the issue numbered around 4,000 from several surrounding states and companies.

We were somewhat fortunate to lose power only for about three-fourths of a day at home, with the ability to come to the office and have air conditioning, if not internet services (which came back on about the same time as the lights clicked back on at our house across town).

We watched outage maps in anguish as folks nearby went day after day without power and heard stories of various forms of survival, from doubling up with friends and neighbors to getting by with generator power.

Then trees got us again on Monday when the internet wouldn’t kick back on, and overgrowth from trees coincidentally proved to be the culprit.

Makes you wonder what the return on investment would have been on burying all that stuff years ago, as they are in our neighborhood (along with the one where we resided in Terrell before coming here).

Over the course of four and a half decades in the news business, it is a given that every so often some resident will call to complain about their trees being butchered by the companies who clear power line rights-of-way, thinking we should do a story about it.

You’ve no doubt seen those V-shaped or lopsided trees that are so unnatural looking.

As I understand it, the power lines were there first and take precedence. I’ve always been of the belief that they can do whatever they want to my trees in order to keep the lights burning.

I love trees (see above), but not when they become an impediment to modern convenience.

I’m old enough to remember elementary school classrooms with the windows open, which just increased the ability to daydream about what outdoor adventures awaited after the school bell rang in the spring and fall.

And many cars were once made without AC (though my first had one of those dealership add-on units that sat on the hump). You don’t see those front window vents any more to direct in additional air.

Air conditioning was once a benefit often advertised by businesses that had it.

Now we just take it for granted, until it’s not there. It’s shaping up to be another long hot summer. Let’s hope the weather and the trees can get along for the rest of the way.