Despite low light levels, bad pruning choices, and my brown thumb, Bob the ficus tree has lasted quite a few years — longer than Peanut, in fact. But he drops leaves almost every day, and has quite a few bare branches.

I haven't wanted to trim any branches lately, because we still have some strips of cloth tied to a few of them, and a dish of tasty seeds wedged in there. Not that Peanut ever really liked to be in Bob, but we were always hopeful that toys and snacks would lure him in.

I get sentimental over the weirdest things.

But Bob got a trim today, just the obviously dead parts. His shape is still mostly straggly, and he lost a bunch of green leaves during the process, but he doesn't look quite so dead anymore.

And I didn't have to trim away that cloth strip in the photo!