Yesterday morning as I was getting my jeep road ready, my neighbor ‘b’ dropped by to inform me he was going to cut down some trees between our houses. I joked about helping and he said he only needed moral support.
Later I heard his chainsaw break the still air and I wandered over to watch as he tied a rope around a tree, secured the other end to a stump, used a come-along for tension and proceeded to cut it down; it falling towards the stump. In short order he had several smallish trees down and turned his attention to a much larger specimen.
Again the rope was attached, this time to the large tree. ‘B’ notched it and began the final cut. I was watching the top waiting for it to begin its fall when I looked down at ‘b’ and saw him trying to push the tree over.
This was an eighty footer and it was beginning to lean towards my daughter’s house. I jumped on the rope to increase tension with absolutely no result. I worried a breeze would push it further. ‘B’ joined me on the rope the fear evident on his face.
Luckily the cut on the backside was angled down a bit and the saw blade and rope helped arrest it’s fall. I loosed my hold on the rope and sprinted back to my jeep, grabbing a length of cable and a chain and fired her up.
I raced across the lawn and through his stand of pines. Backing up to the behemoth, I jumped out, grabbed the chain and cable and found the chain knotted around the cable. “Fuck! Not now!” I vainly cursed as my fingers turned to thumbs.
Finally I managed to get them apart and threw the chain around the tree, hooked the cable to the chain and then to the jeep, jumped once more behind the wheel, slammed it into low and floored the pedal.
I looked over my shoulder as the tree began falling and just made it to the other side of the vehicle as the lower branches smacked the steering wheel. ‘B’ intimated he had never seen an old man move so fast.
Slept really well last night...
Today, I’m shopping for a longer cable.
Later I heard his chainsaw break the still air and I wandered over to watch as he tied a rope around a tree, secured the other end to a stump, used a come-along for tension and proceeded to cut it down; it falling towards the stump. In short order he had several smallish trees down and turned his attention to a much larger specimen.
Again the rope was attached, this time to the large tree. ‘B’ notched it and began the final cut. I was watching the top waiting for it to begin its fall when I looked down at ‘b’ and saw him trying to push the tree over.
This was an eighty footer and it was beginning to lean towards my daughter’s house. I jumped on the rope to increase tension with absolutely no result. I worried a breeze would push it further. ‘B’ joined me on the rope the fear evident on his face.
Luckily the cut on the backside was angled down a bit and the saw blade and rope helped arrest it’s fall. I loosed my hold on the rope and sprinted back to my jeep, grabbing a length of cable and a chain and fired her up.
I raced across the lawn and through his stand of pines. Backing up to the behemoth, I jumped out, grabbed the chain and cable and found the chain knotted around the cable. “Fuck! Not now!” I vainly cursed as my fingers turned to thumbs.
Finally I managed to get them apart and threw the chain around the tree, hooked the cable to the chain and then to the jeep, jumped once more behind the wheel, slammed it into low and floored the pedal.
I looked over my shoulder as the tree began falling and just made it to the other side of the vehicle as the lower branches smacked the steering wheel. ‘B’ intimated he had never seen an old man move so fast.
Slept really well last night...
Today, I’m shopping for a longer cable.
