Final chapter in this epic five-part blog...this one is titled, "The Circus in Our Yard."
About a week after we got power back some friends in town were having a huge, mature pine tree removed from a rather tight location next to their house. The tree had been severely damaged by the ice, and was in pieces all over their front yard and roof. As happens after storms like this there were tree removal people arriving in town offering services--some intent on scams, others were legit. A company from Tennessee stopped at our friend's house to see if they could remove that pine tree. They had bonafide credentials (at least what she could check on the internet) so they took it out. I was so impressed with their work I asked for their phone number, and the company came to give us an estimate on getting our hackberry tree completely removed (it was one of the three large pre-existing trees on our property) and the limbs in the sycamore cleaned up so it can hopefully survive and thrive. The Reenactor and I were both satisfied with the price they gave us so we hired them. The reality was that in spite of purchasing a swell new 20" bar Stehl chainsaw these trees were beyond the height and surgical abilities of The Reenactor.
So the next day these guys showed up. I didn't fully appreciate what they did until I stood in my front yard and watched them. Half the price I paid them was for the entertainment factor of watching the company owner dangle from tree limbs 100 feet off the ground, wielding his chainsaw like an electric knife through butter. It was just as if the circus had come to town and the high-wire acrobats were in our trees.
When they finished a couple of hours later I asked him if his mother knew what he did for a living...it looks incredibly dangerous, and I certainly wouldn't want to know if T1 or T2 were up to shenanigans like that. He and his crew all do competitive rappelling and are completely comfortable climbing straight up the side of a mature tree, tethered only by a single rope they loop over one of the higher branches. Add in a chainsaw dangling from your utility belt, and you've got a great afternoon.
Very, very impressive. Far more impressive than someone with a bucket truck would have been. If an ice storm or squall line messes up your trees this is truly the way to go.
Now to the final notes. One month post-storm and I'm really ready to move on. I've stopped being "wow-ed" by the mountains of limbs and debris that still line our highways and city streets. The sight of a convoy of bucket trucks heading out to a job no longer makes me want to weep in gratitude (although I still appreciate every last one of you guys!) and with the sight of a few buds of green bursting out on our willow today I'm hoping that spring, and all the lovely renewal of life it brings, is just around the corner.
The best way to sum all this up is to say that I DO appreciate the things that need electricity in my house. I am really grateful that I live in a time where a light can illuminate a room with just one flick of a switch. In a time where I can sit and channel surf for an hour when I just really have lost the motivation to do anything else. In a time where I can communicate with my extended family who are scattered to the four corners of our country, and to a friend in Europe, as well as friends in a dozen other states, just by typing out a few words on a keyboard. But, I also appreciate that this is all a luxury. We are wallowing in luxury these days, and we don't even know it. But take away our kilowatts for a couple of weeks and we are humbled.
And to quote a very dear friend who went without power for at least two full weeks (maybe longer?) and additionally hosted another friend who was without power even longer....
"If [the Weather Channel's] Jim Cantore comes to your town, get the hell out of dodge. It’s not going to be pretty."
No comments:
Post a Comment