Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ax Men

 "See the tree how big it's grown!
  But friends it hasn't been too
 long it wasn't big."
  I must admit to having mixed
 emotions when we learned
 our park manager had hired a
 company to take down some of
 the tall timbers in our
 neighborhood.
  The decision as to which were
 to fall was left up to us. We
 had five huge evergreens
 greens on our lot.
  And I remember when my wife
 planted them some 42 years ago.
  Just as in the old Bobby
 Goldsboro ballad they were little
 more than twigs back then.
  Not any more!
  Each towered 30 to 40 feet above
 our house.
  We had been toying with the idea
 they should be cut back or cut
 down for some time.
  Probably since the day a few
 years back when we saw the ground
 beneath a much smaller sixth
 tree move up and down as the
 limbs swayed in the wind.
  In case you hadn't noticed
 the wind seems to have picked up
 across the country lately.
  That may have figured into our
 decision to let these lumberjacks
 do their thing.
  Armed with little more with a
 chainsaw, ropes,and climbing
 spikes they scaled the trees
 to the top then cut their way
 through the branches on their
 way back down.
  The trunks left behind were
 carefully cut and dropped
 exactly where these woodsmen
 wanted them to fall.
  I had hoped they might have
 carved a bear or eagle on
 their way down but the
 emphasis here was on speed
 and efficiency.
  In fact they might have been
 a little too fast.
  I had expected to hear somebody
 yell 'Timber' as each fell.
  If anybody did it was drown
 out by the noise of the saw
 and the large shredder that
 turned the branches into a
 sort of evergreen salad.
  Don't get too close to that
 thing!  
  I'm sure we'll miss the
 shade. And it's a good bet
 some local birds and at least
 one squirrel are upset with us.
  The sap from those limbs on
 top of our car will not be
 missed. And we may find
 ourselves sleeping a bit
 better when the high winds
 blow through on those dark and
 stormy nights.
  So rest easy if you're in
 our neighborhood, unless you're
 one of those birds, and let's
 hope all your NEWS is good.

    

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