With fall upon us, the trees around West Texas are stunning, and yes for the record, I am a tree enthusiast (aka, a tree watcher). I love planting trees, nurturing them, and even bringing pieces of my family’s history to life through them. One of my proudest projects is the “Paper Shell” pecan tree I planted from a branch taken from an old tree at my grandpa’s farm north of Abilene. Today, that tree flourishes in my front yard in southwest Abilene, standing as a testament to our family’s roots.