Big doings

(Photo by BobbaLew.)

Just over three years ago, right after my wife died, I wrote up a list of things to do — I was told making lists was cathartic.
I don’t know as it was.
I lived with that lady 44 years, thereby surprising all the nattering nabobs of negativism that noisily declared we wouldn’t make a year.
Her mother growled when she first met me, as if to say “look what the cat dragged in.”
She actually growled; I’m not making this up.
One of the things I had on my list was removal of a giant poplar-tree, that had grown up as a weed over the 25 years I’ve been here.
There was a school up-the-street, converted to an American Legion.
They had a sodium-vapor light outside to light their parking-lot all night. It used to shine in our kitchen all the way into our bedroom.
But that poplar grew up to obscure that light.
I worried about that poplar. They have a reputation.
Supposedly they don’t last long.
I was afraid of it toppling over and messing up my fence.
Sometimes it would get whipped around during thunderstorms.
I have a gigantic five-foot chain-link fence surrounding about three acres of my property. It cost us $16,000 — best $16,000 we ever spent.
It allows my dog to run, without worrying about her getting into the highway.
Last Thursday (August 20th, 2015) would be the BIG DAY.
Despite my stroke-induced disinclination to make phonecalls, I had arranged for J.M. Tree-Service to remove the tree.
This was partly because their office-manager was eager to do e-mail, which I prefer.
Often businesses are still stuck in the 20th century, preferring phone business.
Since I feel unsure on the phone, I prefer e-mail.
I got up around 7:30, and could hear heavy trucks outside.
J.M. Tree-Service was already there, and a boom-truck with bucket set up on my lawn.
I stepped outside and met the foreman. “I’m waiting for my crane-man,” he said.
We then looked at two silver-maples right in front of the poplar. Silver-maples are a weed-tree.
Foreman suggested I take those out too, although they weren’t in the contract. $250 plus tax = take ‘em out.
They were actually a single tree with double trunks that split low to the ground. They were a threat to my fence too.
Crane-man appeared, a giant truck with crane attached. It’s in my lede picture.
He set up in my driveway, extending pads out to lift the truck and steady the crane.
The crane then extended high above the poplar.
Removal of the poplar began.
Foreman got in the boom-bucket with a chainsaw, and attacked the tree-trunk.
All-of-a-sudden the crane was lifting the top 30 feet or so of the tree.
It was slowly lowered to the waiting crew-guys, who took it apart so they could ram it through their chipper.
I was impressed.
Foreman made another cut, and suddenly the crane was lifting that part.
I went inside to eat breakfast, and when I came back out the poplar and silver-maples were gone.
Most of the crew had already left, including crane-man.
My driveway had been swept clean of chips.
All that was left were two giant logs, both of which may have been the trunk of the poplar — I know one was.
They could have removed them, except it poured rain later that afternoon.
When I mention this to my bereavement-group — a grief group — they’ll call it progress.
The fact I managed to arrange all this despite losing my wife.

• My wife died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her dearly.
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, and it slightly compromised my speech. (Difficulty finding and putting words together.)