Rip the Bandaid Off

We knew it was coming. It would be a day of farewells and nostalgic moments. A day of awe and wonder. It was the day we had to say final goodbyes to our two stately green ash trees.

As I write this post, chainsaws are buzzing, young men are scampering around, skid loaders are squealing and piles of tree limbs are being stacked like a game of pick-up-sticks.

The skill of the tree removal folks is a sight to behold and I am grateful for their hard work and dedicated efforts. Here are a few pictures, dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Ash.

Mr. Ash had a final moment of peace before the men-with-loud-machines arrived. I confess I gave both trees a big hug earlier in the morning. I thanked each of them for forty years of shade and service. I also commiserated with them about the challenges of getting old and the unfairness of a little bug taking them down.

The heavy equipment arrived and it was all business. Just the thought of someone climbing into that bucket with a chainsaw gave me the willy-nillies.

A curly-haired, young whipper snapper nimbly scrambled into the bucket and got to work. I could tell it wasn't his first rodeo as he carefully selected the limbs to be cut. Astoundingly, the limbs fell just where he wanted them to land. Left up to me, I would most likely have every car in the neighborhood whimpering away with cracked windshields and scratched exteriors.

The tree got smaller and........

The debris pile got larger.

Timber!!! The young man wielding the chainsaw was a genius with his placement of cuts into the tree trunk. I held my breath as I watched the tree fall exactly where it was supposed to rest. Again, it was a good thing this was not left up to me.

Mrs. Ash presented a few advance challenges. She was surrounded by rock and the rock needed to be removed before the tree folks could grind out the stump. I am going to go on record and say there were no less than 3,423,622 rocks around the perimeter. I am allergic to tedious tasks and this process just about sent me to the loony bin. My long-suffering husband is extremely patient and wisely encouraged me to take frequent breaks. I know that it was probably because he needed to be relieved of my incessant whining.

Mrs. Ash was adorned with a special necklace before her operation. Her location meant some fancy techniques had to be employed.

A section of Mrs. Ash's trunk dangled in the air as the ground crew gently lowered the dangler to the ground. Hard hats required.

Where's Waldo? Or the man-on-the-ground? Great faith it takes for him to watch for cues from the man-in-the-air. No men were injured during the filming of this drama.

All work and no cookies is just wrong so I baked up a big batch for the crew. I believe chocolate chip cookies can save lives and I felt the men could use a little extra protection.

And thus it is. The statuesque trees are now mounds of fragrant wood chips. It won't be long before little critters will settle into the biotic detritus of two lovely ash trees. Coprinellus micaceus will also enjoy releasing enzymes as they break down one of their favorite tree species.

The cycle of life marches onward.