We’ve finally managed to get someone out to take down the 4 trees (2 are completely dead; 3 could have hit the house) we’ve been trying to get rid of for a year. The two poplars are the dead ones, of course. The other two are hickory and oak, so should make some nice firewood for someone, hopefully.
One of the two guys climbed the hickory tree to cut it in segments because it’s just feet from the shed and the house. That was scary to watch, since I looked out the window just after he cut off the first large segment and he was clinging to the tree, waiting for it to stop swaying. He was really far up (ended up going even further) and it wasn’t a terribly wide tree. 😯
They felled each of the two tall trees along the driveway with just one cut a piece. What a thud those made hitting the ground! It’s a unique sound, with sound waves resonating through the wood to create one tone at the same time that the ground resonates with another tone. I can’t even explain it much less begin to reproduce it.
The large, VERY dead poplar at the front shattered into myriad pieces everytime they cut off a major segment. What a mess to cleanup! Terry said that he saw one of the guys scoop something out of the first part they cut and put it into another tree. I asked them later when they took a lunch break what it was, turns out there were baby squirrels in the tree! Hopefully, the mother will come back for them.
For just two men working on four trees, they went pretty quickly (less than 6 hours). I have to say that I’m rather impressed. Definitely not an easy job. I feel like such a … girl. 😆 The owner will be back to grind out the stumps and settle the bill another day. I already transferred the funds out of savings, so I really don’t care. He was able to give us some advice on relatively fast growing, but hardy and strong, trees to plant as replacements.
I had to lock poor Phoebe pup in our bedroom for a good bit of the time they were here. She was having a conniption with all of the noise of the trees coming down and the chipping. I felt bad about that, but it kept her from barking, for the most part. Combine a barking dog with Terry on a conference call with consultants on speakerphone and it just doesn’t work. The round ball of sound energy waves that come out of her mouth and assault my eardrums when she’s close to me and at just the right position is quite amazing. I guess today is an audibly enriched day. 😉
The landscape of my front yard is so changed now. It seems barren and empty and … *gasp* … sunny! Makes me want to cry, actually. 😥 *sniff* I’m very attached to my trees (and my privacy!) and it’s been a long, upsetting saga with this lot since day 1. We started with the only fully wooded lot in the development. I sat and cried my eyes out when they first cleared it to start building. And now we’re having to take down half of the trees that they left in the front. We paid a $5K premium for a wooded lot, another $4K charge to clear it for building and now another $1K to clear more of it. *sigh* Next will be probably be another $1K to install new trees. Maybe more, since I’m going to want something bigger than just the little puny starter trees that will take 15+ years to create reasonable shade and privacy. *bigger sigh*
Gosh, am I whiney or what? Sorry about that! I feel like I run the risk of sounding like Eeyore sometimes. Honestly, though, life is good, in general. I’m thankful for what I have, including the money to be able to remove my beloved trees and the ability to replace them.
Jenna, I can totally understand what you mean by the way Phoebe barks because Tux does it, too!! For little dogs they sure can make themselves heard.
We had two trees in our yard, a birch tree and a green ash. The birch tree was dying so we had someone come and take it down. Not even twelve hours later, Mom and I were sitting in the kitchen when a very strong wind blew in. We went to close windows and I heard her exclaim “My tree!!” I rushed to the front window and thought “Cool, the wind is bending the tree (green ash) over this far!” then realized the tree couldn’t bend that far. Turns out a big portion of the trunk was rotted and the wind just twisted it the right way. Fortunately the tree did not do any damage to the house (or our cars parked on the street!); it fell so that it’s very top branches were resting on the edge of the roof. Needless to say, my dad was not a happy camper at losing two big trees in one day and he had a lot of, um, inventive words to use!
I hope you’re able to find some new trees you like!