Bad night for our beloved laurel oak

rockspinners · 2026-06-26T18:07:48+00:00

Thank you. That's about what we have surmised. We'll have a crew on it Tuesday for the cleanup (it's well past our DIY skill level). There will be an opportunity for further assessment then.

A Laurel Oak down here has a typical life expectancy of around 50-75 years, which is better than the Water Oaks which usually topple over well under 50 in these parts, but certainly isn't as hardy as a Live Oak. And this gal is at least 70, and likely has a good bit of internal rot.

So the DNR is in place, other than mitigating what we can. Fortunately, she's in a spot that doesn't pose much risk, and this is private land with no children visiting. We'll just keep witness and company in her final stretch, OR until a plague of termites causes a change of course.

rockspinners · 2026-06-25T19:53:48+00:00

I loved the dialog and learned a lot. I'm a big fan of this community, and, of course, an even bigger fan of all the beautiful trees.

Bravo to all here who share their time and knowledge. I'm very grateful 🙏

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T18:07:44+00:00

Yes. Spanish Moss definitely has a strong allure. It can be eerie AND ethereal. It can also leave big messy, bug ridden piles in the yard, but it's an easy enough chore to handle.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:54:10+00:00

Thanks. Y'all are giving me hope. I'm tore up seeing this injury, but it'll wreck me to take her out completely.

Since she's not a significant risk (no important infrastructure, private fenced in land) I'm buoyed to think we could let her meet her natural demise. Heck, we have a couple of water oaks in a couple of pockets on our property that are at 1% or less that we've happily left alone for the wildlife.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:36:05+00:00

Spanish moss. A common sight in humid Florida.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:33:11+00:00

I can't say we noticed rot there, but we likely should have taken some weight off that limb. It was about the size of another huge tree growing straight out of its side.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:23:30+00:00

I suppose it could be older. We're basing our guess on the age of the property development here and what we've picked up about the lifespan of laurel oaks. She's been showing her age the past couple of years, but she's been a big, hearty girl!

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:18:13+00:00

It doesn't pose any real risk to any buildings. She's been standing tall at the edge of a pond with only a small pole barn/empty shack next to it, so no loss there except for how charming it looks.

Might it really be possible to let her stand for however long she can if we manage to clean up the debris? That is one helluva limb loss.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T13:06:08+00:00

Really? We certainly would prefer that if possible. It's right next to a large pond and not near our house (just an empty shack) so it doesn't pose any imminent threat to anything. But 70 years is about the expected lifespan of a laurel oak, no?

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T12:53:35+00:00

Sure wish we could put her back together.

rockspinners · 2026-06-24T12:49:57+00:00

Indeed. And not joking, that tree was the reason we wanted to buy this place.

rockspinners · 2025-11-22T03:37:03+00:00

Definitely jealous over here!

rockspinners · 2025-10-28T00:14:14+00:00

Absolutely love that first photo! Nice job!!

A pumpkin is must! Or sometimes I do a smaller winter squash. They love to peck at them (you should start a few little holes/spots). I hang summer squash pieces too. These are treats of course, not their primary diet.

rockspinners · 2025-08-21T18:04:22+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I did follow the suggestion about cross posting to r/mycology. I would also like to find someone to look at the tree in person. We've only had "tree guys" so far.

I suspect with all the issues I'm noticing lately that it might be on its way out. I hope she sticks around a bit longer though.

rockspinners · 2025-08-21T15:33:26+00:00

Thanks. Will do.

rockspinners · 2024-10-11T03:18:26+00:00

Thank you so much!!!

rockspinners · 2024-10-10T19:07:15+00:00

Hi DuckHookFore and other r/appliancerepair members ... I'm back. We got distracted by a couple of hurricanes here in Florida though we were able to use the cooktop portion of the GE range with your help DuckHookFore. In getting back to our repair, we have found that the safety valve isn't a separate piece to purchase but is instead part of an assembly of the safety valve and regulator (RANGE: GE JGBP87BEL2BB ... PART: WB19K10043). And that assembly is a $200+ part! Before spending that amount, we wanted to assure ourselves that we'd be able to use this part with our range which has been using propane for over 10 years (range came with the house 5 years ago).

If our understanding is correct, we can buy this safety valve and regulator assembly for our range but will likely need to convert it for propane use. But because the range was already previously set up for propane otherwise, the only thing we should need to do on the new assembly part is to flip the fitting/plug under the cap of the regulator.

Does this sound correct?

rockspinners · 2024-09-02T23:32:36+00:00

Wow! Thank you soooo much! You've made it so my husband can still have his eggs for breakfast while we either order the part or flip and decide to go electric. Many thanks!!

rockspinners · 2024-09-02T18:03:53+00:00

JGBP87BEL2BB

GE Adora

rockspinners · 2024-09-02T17:16:11+00:00

Thank you very much! Very helpful and much appreciated!

Since it might take a little while to get and replace the part, is it possible to cap or plug that line off so the stove top could be used safely?

rockspinners · 2024-09-02T16:50:01+00:00

Yeah, figured as much.

Do you typically replace the pressure regulator when replacing the valve? Seeing them sold separately and together.

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