We had a dead pine cut down this week in our side yard. It was a pretty tall tree.
It's the one on the far left side in this picture.
I was more than a little worried about the guy we were using, The tree was close to our (new) neighbors' fence and house, hence the urgency to get it down before hurricane season.
Every time tree dude returned my calls, he acted like he didn't remember who I was or where I lived, or sounded like I woke him out of a dead sleep.
And he'd already been to our house twice.
My brothers' neighbor up the street assured me he'd be fine to use. He was the one who recommended him, and the old codger actually did give us a pretty good price.
For five hundred dollars, he was willing to take the tree down, stack the wood and haul it all away.
I was glad I was working the day he came to do it. I was already nervous about it.
Tim happened to be off that day and promised me he'd keep an eye on everything.
Here's a picture of what Tim looks like keeping an eye on things on his day off.
This one was taken during a direct hit from a hurricane.
Not kidding.
Obviously our bulldog, Charlie was cut from the same cloth/sloth.
I left for work worried.
I came home to a dead pine cut down and hauled away.
Ole Jed done good on his watch.
Tim said he went out into the yard to introduce himself to the tree guy (at least my age if not older) I had contacted and and hired. He told him as soon as they were through with the tree he'd give him a check for five hundred dollars.
Tim said that was when a younger, brawny looking guy stepped forward and extended his hand, saying he was the one who would be climbing the tree and taking it down.
Tim said the dude who I had contacted did absolutely nothing, other than to have brought a crew of about six young men with him, as they all stood back...across the street, while the top limbs dropped. Once they were all lopped off the guys scrambled to pile them in the trailer as the guy climbed back down the tree.
Then the guy simply started about five inches off the ground and felled the entire tree with his chain saw.
Tim said it was a pretty loud boom.
Once again the workers went into action. As soon as the guy cut the tree up, they hauled it to the trailer.
Tim said it was all said and down in a little over an hour.
So I'm going with the assumption that tree service is just like politics.
You got a guy selling the job.
He does nothing but bait and hook.
Then he hires a posse to do his grunt work.
But has in his back pocket, taking probably more money than he does home, his ace in the hole.
A man who can climb and fell a hundred foot tall dead pine like its nothing, and leave no damage.
My neighbors behind us were thrilled the tree, looming over their property was gone, and can't blame them.
I was talking with the wife a couple of weeks ago and mentioned how in love I was with my yard but had no idea what I had growing, blooming or how to care for it.
BAM!
She told me her neighbor two doors down was a master gardener and gave me her name.
I stopped by the other day, actually the day the tree came down and introduced my Hillbilly self.
Her yard is an absolute paradise.
They (she and her husband) were so gracious with me just barging in and she said she would absolutely love to walk the yard with me and give me a few tips.
My sister had mentioned me finding someone to tell me about all the indigenous growth in our yard when we first moved and and feel so lucky I found the perfect person, with her encouragement.
Still boggles my mind every single day that this is our yard now.
Moving here was tougher than tough.
It took me a minute.
Not gonna lie.
It took me more than a couple.
Then I realized, this was the plan!
It is different and will be better for us...but is still hard to take, being gone, from our them.
No truer statement, in my book.
But that's just me.
#learninghowtotakeaselfie
Til next time,
COTTON
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