I fought the tree and the tree won!

[MadMerv]

Part 1, Saturday:
So I rent a chain saw and head for Granbury. The bradford pear out front was down and gone in thirty minutes, so I think the other one shouldn't be too bad. WRONG!!!!! It turned out to be much larger than I thought, once I started.

Because it was so close to the house, I climbed as high as I thought I could, cutting small branches as I went while Shelley dragged them down the hill. Of course there are vines all through the dang tree, so most of the branches didn't just fall to the ground, which made more cutting necessary. What I found was that there were three huge limbs to this thing, not just one, and one of them was wedged into yet another tree.

I figured I would work on the one closest to the house. Just to be safe, I wrapped a large chain around both trees and the ladder (remember this for later....) I started cutting the bigger limbs in small pieces, and as I got closer to the chain, the "leaner" actually began to lift away from the "leanee"! By this time, the chain saw weight had increased three to four time from when I started and I was getting very tired, so we called it a day. It took six hours to get this far and all I could really see that was done was that huge limb had been stripped of the smaller green stuff. I was, however, relieved that it was no longer being supported by the "leanee". Being so tired, I didn't bother to remove the chain, which was now hanging LOOSELY..................

[channelmaniac]

And here I was thinking I was going be reading about you dropping a tree on your Miata.

[Dave04]

And here I was thinking I was going be reading about you dropping a tree on your Miata.

Or at least reading about falling off a ladder... oh wait... that was Onething... nevermind...

[Checker]

Just read threads to catch up on your weather woes ... glad the house escaped any damage!

[MadMerv]

Part 2, Sunday:

Shelley had things to do at home, so I ventured off to Granbury to finish the job........by myself!!!!! Can you say STUPID?

When I go there, something looked different..... The chain that had been loose when I left, was now taught, and the "leanee" was leaning even more! It's good that I had been too tired to remove the chain the night before, or it would have been down, or more likely....through the back decks. My plan had been to cut that limb down before attacking the other ones, but since it was now holding the rest of the tree up, I decided perhaps I should go to plan "B". Unfortunately, I didn't have a plan "B", so I quickly made one up!

Starting with limb two, I did the same as the day before; small stuff first, then work my way down the limbs. Now remeber that I am twenty-five feet in the air with a chain saw, reaching to cut a limb, and as the saw completes the cut, gravity took over and the saw started down in an arc, barely missing my leg and jaming into the ladder just below! I was lucky, as was the chain saw. It was time for a break.......

OK, ready to try again, a litttle more carefull this time! Limb #3 actually could not fall on the house, so I mad one giant cut and it went crashing down the hill. It was eighteen inches in diameter, at the cut. Back to limb #2 and I worked down the tree cutting 2-3' sections. Of course, they got bigger as I got lower (and HEAVIER!). Next thing I knew, one of them didn't fall exactly where I expected, mangling the ladder that I had used to climb up there! Lucky for me I was standing at the "Y" between limb #1 and #2, and not on the ladder. Lucky, also, that the pile was getting taller and taller so it wasn't too difficult to get down.....so I could pick the chain saw that I had let go of when the ladder was murdered!

Finished limb #2 and all that's left is the one chained to the "leanee". Surprising, the chain was now loose (again!), since there was nothing left above it. I figured this was going to be easy, to simply cut it piece by piece until all that was left was the trunk. Up the ladder I climb and see that the first couple of cuts could cause the pieces to cause more damage to the deck below, so I leave the chain hanging loosely. I cut to the right, then gently pull that piece out of the chain and let it fall safely to the ground. I cut to the left, ad as the saw finishes the cut I realize I just cut the piece holding the ladder!!!!!!!

Let go of the saw. Grab for....anything. Hear the piece crash into the deck railing. STOP! I'm still on the ladder, albeit at a strange angle, bause it cought on the chain and only fell about two feet. Below me, I hear the chain saw still running....... I think I was lucky.....stupid, but lucky. Time for another "break", after I get off the dang ladder and turn off the saw!

The poor chain saw didn't fare too well this time and required a bit of maintenance before I could make the final cut on the main trunk. By this time, I am exhausted, but still all in one piece. The saw isn't big enough to cut thru the 26" trunk so I had to cut from many different directions, which was difficult since it was leaning uphill and was surrounded by these giant limbs, but I manged to finish the job without killing myself.

I could barely carry the chain saw up the hill, around the house and over the side of the truck becuase it now weighed about two hundred pounds, I think. I left all the limbs and branches where they landed, as well as the ladders, and crawled in the truck and headed home. Of course, two hours later there was a showing, and I can't imagine what the potential buyers thought when they saw the mess. I guess cleaning it up will be my next job....next weekend when I'm rested up.

[Checker]

You are a monkey!

[sammm]

I fought the tree and the tree won!

They usually do. I have the scars to prove it. Hire a pro before you get hurt or dead.

[Sharpie]

Glad you were so "Lucky" and not hurt!

Any word on how the showing went?

[MiataMike]

Yeah, rule of thumb about climbing trees with power tools. Make sure you have someone else there incase something happens. You know for 911 calls

You know I kept thinking that this story was going to take a turn for the worste; but then I realized....you probably wouldn't be writting it if it had taken that turn. I'm glad you got everything cut up and didn't hurt your self. Then again, you could then say your the fastest man with 1 leg at MSR

[Treibenschnell]

Now you too can use this smilie...


Be careful out there!

[onething]

Seems someone posted a news story recently about old farts and ladders. Now that we have our arteries cleared by drugs and are living longer, falls are killing more of us.

I once 'helped' a professional tree trimmer and decided after the first five minutes that I had no idea what he was doing and lacked the agility to try to learn more. I revisited that lesson a few months ago

Glad the prospective buyers didn't have to call the FD to fetch you out of the tree or the EMS to pick up the pieces and tote them to hospital.

[Majik]

You type really well with a stump Merv!

[MadMerv]

Glad you were so "Lucky" and not hurt!

Any word on how the showing went?

Nothing from Sunday, but the ones on Saturday REALLY liked it and would have made an offer if it was on the lake. I think they are still a good possibility.

[MadMerv]

You type really well with a stump Merv!

Yeah, but I walk with a limp

[black roadster]

Nothing from Sunday, but the ones on Saturday REALLY liked it and would have made an offer if it was on the lake. I think they are still a good possibility.

Flood the back yard. Actually, Mother Nature might do that for you this week.

Glad to hear you survived another deul with the Tree of Death!

[Monkey of Death]

You are a monkey!

Nah, if he was a monkey he wouldn't have needed the ladder and this wouldn't have been so dangerous!

Glad you're ok, Merv!!

[MadMonkey]

Wait.... you rented a chainsaw?

Real men own chainsaws