Flashback Wednesday, because by the time Friday rolls around, I will have forgotten already

In front and to the side of "the old house" there were three enormous locust trees.  I loved those trees.  They were too tall for climbing, but we had other trees for that-- some pine trees that Mom had brought back as saplings from one of her trips home to OR. 
One of the trees, the one on the side, fell prey to a huge storm that ripped through the valley.  The wind was strong enough to uproot that tree and send a railroad tie that was holding down a tarp on the roof (we call it redneck chic) off of the roof and through the kitchen window.  It flattened crops all around.  I was in the house with Mom and baby Scot.  Dad had Mark, Nels, and Sara outside, hunkered down in the old hay shed because they'd gotten caught outside in the storm.  I remember being very frightened.  There's more to the story here. 
The tree to the left, as you look at the house, had the swing.  It was awesome, except Dad used rope unsuitable for swings.  It was SO sharp and prickly.  I would stand on the wood slat and hold on to those ropes really tight.  I must have had amazing stomach muscles then, because I would pull my legs up and wrap them in the ropes and hang upside down while swinging and dreaming about Lance. 
The story which could have and should have gotten me into a lot of trouble, was when I strung a clothesline out of black baling twine between the two trees.  Laundry for dolls is so time consuming!  I forgot to take it down and that night, my older brother came zipping through the front yard on his bike after doing the milking chores.  It probably almost killed him.  It definitely unseated him and surprised him.  Ah.  Good times, good times.
One of my favorite things to do with the locust trees was to pick off a strand of leaves and play "Rich man, poor man."  You tear off the leaves saying "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief' repeating until the leaves are gone.  I always wanted the rich man and did not ever land on him.  I also thought the chief was a strapping Indian chief with a beautiful feather headdress.  My brothers said it was a police chief.
Oh, locust trees, oh locust trees
How fond are my mem'ries.
Oh, locust trees, oh locust trees
I'm glad you were not made of cheese.
You were so grand and oh, so tall
A mighty wind made one of you fall
The rest came down at a later date
Our wood box in "the new house" was your fate.

Actually, I don't know why they came down.  It might have been when the "old house" was being remodeled to make "Grandma Hunter's house".