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Monday, January 21, 2013

Big job, big chain saw



All that wind mentioned on blogs from the mid west to the north east came through my little township too, Friday night.  We lost the upper half of a dead tree, trunk and branches all over the driveway.  Tom was clearing it away when our neighbor at the end of the road and way up a lane called. She lost an entire tree she’s been worried about for some time.  Was Tom interested?

Tom and Ham came back from assaying, Tom grinning, Ham bemused.  Tom needed a bigger chain saw and coveralls and steel toed boots for the boy. There was wood for two years.  Only a wood stove heats the entire studio, and that can be a challenge in a brutal winter. 

The good old boy network kept Tom apprised of trees for years; his buddies even drove overloaded pick up’s of trunk chunks from all over the state for drop off in the side yard.  The emerald ash borer brought that to a halt and the wood pile was down to this winter and part of next.

So, yesterday Tom upgraded from his little branch lopping chain saw to one that really makes him smile.  He put coveralls and steel toed boots on the boy, too.

Yesterday was beautiful.  I went down the road and looked at the tree.  It’s a big ‘un, and way up the hill.  There will be some serious toting to bring it home.  Then I drove over to Hammy’s potential new church.  He was quite disappointed I didn’t just take him yesterday; services began at 9 am.  I put my hand on his shoulder and said I was responsible for him and would not send him into the midst of strangers until I talked to the minister.  He settled down, and came home smiling from being outfitted for tree removal.



I planned my arrival at church to go in as members drove out.  I timed it perfectly.  When three cars remained in the lot I walked up to the door.  Locked!  Drove around, tried the other door.  Locked.  Well, these are strange times.  I called the number from the phone book and told the man who answered who I was.  I wanted the minister.  He offered me others, but I wanted the minister.  I was given the phone number of someone who could make an appointment to see him.



I drove through the blue heron rookery on the way home.  The herons haven’t come back yet.  At home I made the appointment.  The minister can’t be seen for another two weeks.  Oh, well.  I told Hammy he can substitute good deeds and getting started in school for church the next two weeks.



Today it’s snowing and the tree trunk chunks are moving up the hill.


26 comments:

  1. I think when your young man gets a feeling for how much you care about him and how loved and protected he is, possibly for the first time in his life, he is going to come around quickly.

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  2. The photo of him outfitted for tree/power tool experience showed a boy preparing for this experience. Delores is right.

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  3. How on earth will Ham be able to resist? and really? two weeks to see the minister? cause he's just so busy?

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  4. What a wonderful experience. He will learn with the right tools and proper effort he can move the world.

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  5. THere is no bonding like testosterone bonding, and nothing gets testosterone boiling like a chainsaw and a really big tree.

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    1. I had trouble condensing this one. I left out the whole part about Tom digging his toe into the floor and telling Jan about needing a big chain saw. After she sent the two of them off, we laughed like a couple of women who just sent a man and a boy off for a really big chain saw. We all have our fun.

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  6. Two weeks is ridiculous....on the other hand,sawing a great hunk of tree for firewood!!!
    Jane x

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  7. There's nothing like boys and their toys, especially the toys with lots of grunt.

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  8. Oh, boys and their toys! They'll have a great time.

    Interesting open door policy at the church.....perhaps suffering little children doesn't apply to teenagers....

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  9. Boy toy bonding.
    I'd say your new family is complete and off to a wonderful start.
    I hope you get many more trees to build up that wood pile.
    I love wood fires and slow combustion heaters.

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  10. I have to say that Tom looks ready to chop the old feller off the boy, the way he is holding that saw. Let's hope there's no envy involved.

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    1. I was looking forward to what the other halves might say.

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  11. Lovely, lovely, lovely. It SO feelings like everything is coming round to balance and harmony. Welcome, Hammy, into the strong part of your family. You are going to be so happy here!

    Joanne--you are amazing, just totally wonderfully amazing. Go get 'em, girl!

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  12. It does not speak well of a minister to be inaccessible for weeks at a time! I'm so glad Ham has lots of family support and love since it seems he can't count on his church home for much.

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  13. Two weeks...what! We too are chopping wood. We being Joe:}

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  14. Cutting up and hauling that tree will certainly keep them warm. That's a good looking work area.

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  15. We used to love big trees around the house in Illinois, but now it scares me with the winds they've been getting. The chain saw looks pretty efficient.

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  16. Strenuous physical work is a good antidote for unhappiness and many other things. Serendipity, I'd say! And I had to smile about the chain saw. My husband says a project isn't worth doing if he doesn't need a new tool for it :)

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  17. A boy/man with a new toy" that has a motor is a happy camper.

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  18. It sounds as though Ham is going to be all right. I hope things work out for him as far as the church goes -- but somehow two weeks sounds like a very long time. The photograph of the two men with their chainsaw is a priceless picture! Well done to both you and Tom!

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  19. That chainsaw photo made me smile...it looks like something out of an American sit com

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  20. One year we were offered the opportunity to "bid" on some fallen trees in the state park. Oddly enough, we were the high bidders at $1 and all those huge chunks of wood kept us warm and landscaped for nearly two years!! For that, we had to upgrade our chainsaw, too. He who loves toys hs two chainsaws and never has trouble getting a kamper to help cut up fallen trees.

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  21. Those carharts are just the ticket for bucking up trees in frigid weather, they guys look so manly and ready for their task in the photo. I confess I don't miss heating with wood like we did living in the mountains of california for so many years. one year we rented a 20 foot uhaul truck to go get walnut logs from a farm in Chico more than an hours drive, we loaded up the whole thing with logs, thankfully they lasted us the whole winter and then some when we lived by Mt. Lassen. Gary still has a bad knee from a log hitting him there and hopes he won't have to have surgery.

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  22. A good stash of wood to gives security against power outage and zombie apocalypse. We lost power the other day in sub-zero and stayed quite toasty. We also had a house full of college students who needed warming. We all sat around the stove in the dark while they studied on their laptops and chatted. Kind of little house on the prairie meets the twenty-first century.

    Nothing like POWER tools to make guys happy.

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  23. A fallen tree is like a playground for men! Glad you're going to get your woodpile stocked up. Stay warm. It's too darn cold today!

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  24. Not much is sexier than a man and his chainsaw! I like the wood chopping because it keeps the spouse out from under my feet for hours!

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