August 26, 2008
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Cutting Down THE Tree
We had a poplar tree in the middle of our side lawn. My husband thinks that it is the first tree that his dad ever planted on the place way back in the early fifties when he bought the farm. That tree was, without doubt, one of the messiest trees that I had ever known. When it flowered it made a mess all over the place and if the flowers fell on the wet laundry hanging on the clothes line they would get stained. After we put the pool in I was determined that it had to go. It used to make a mess in the pool and on top of the cover each year.
So Ian decided this year that he was going to take the tree down for me. (he was one of the ones who used to have to help clean up the mess when we opened the pool each spring) So he borrowed a harness from a neighbor and brought it home to practice with before he actually did the deed.
Now, I don’t particularly care for chain saws. I know that they are a necessary evil, especially on a farm, but I have seen firsthand what they can do to the human body and I just don’t like them. But, Ian is very safe so I guess that I wasn’t too nervous this time. He climbed the tree and hauled his saw up with a rope and set to cutting off branch after branch.
They made quite a pile sitting on the lawn as he cut and cut. Ian being Ian talked and joked the whole time he was up there.
It was a strange sight to see the tree getting more and more bare.
When he got to this point I did start to get nervous. But he managed to get it all down and cleaned up without getting hurt. His father was the one who got hurt and not by the saw. He managed to smash his little finger between two large, heavy chunks of wood. One trip to the ER later he had a tetnus shot and x-rays to make sure it wasn’t broken. They dressed the wound but didn’t stitch because it was swelling too much. I am pleased to say that it is healing very well and the yard is all cleaned up and looking good. I look forward to uncovering the pool next spring without the usual mess.
Comments (8)
Wouldn’t the mess make it the “unpopular” tree?
Good work Ian (and good work mom on taking pictures and not being too nervous).
Wow, that was a big tree. You have a very pretty lawn, I must say. Will there still be shade enough from the other trees?
@nettieheidmann - there are plenty of trees left to provide shade. that lawn is my favorite place to entertain people when they come over. also I have tried to make it a place that is appealing to children. the sandbox and swing set is there along with a couple of tractor tires that I half buried on the lawn for the kids to climb on.
@standingonthepromises - I like your pun. It was certainly an “unpopular” tree. I was indeed trying to be brave by taking pictures and not calling out advice on being cautious. It was kind of funny that with all the danger of cutting the tree down nothing happened until they were loading up the wood.
matthew helped
Ian is a man. He therefore has a natural affinity for all things sharp, gas powered, and/or dangerous. It’s just the way we are wired. Did you expect less from The Handyman himself?
@P_Obrien - you think that I am unaware of that? I will once again state that I am quite well versed in men. I have more experience than the average woman when it comes to men. And, you’re right, Ian is awsome!!!! I greatly admire his ability to do whatever he sets his mind to.
@perelandra30 - likei said before matthew helped