Here’s an unexpectedly positive outcome of last week’s microburst, which wrought a whole lotta damage on the city’s North Side and suburbs. A very large old tree in front of the house on the southwest corner of Hutchinson and Greenview was a casualty of the storm, but with its demise and removal, you get a much better view of the house, one of the grandest brick Queen Annes in the city. [Unfortunately, we don’t have a “before” picture, but use your imagination.]

Of course with every silver lining, there’s a dark cloud to contend with, and here, it’s that while the experience for passersby is improved, the absence of shade provided against the [sometimes relentless] afternoon sun from the west means that higher air conditioning costs are on the horizon for the people who live there.