Tuesday, April 12, 2011

No Clout With Mother Nature

   I stepped outside to survey the yard in daylight after last night's "big blow." The only thing amiss was the wind had blown most of the blossoms off our dogwood tree. The yard looked as if we'd had snowfall over night.


  Our dogwood tree is over 30 years old. It's beautiful year around but it looks like a big white cloud when it blooms in the spring. It's the biggest dogwood I've ever seen. The trunk at the bottom is probably two feed in diameter and the limbs start low to the ground.


  When our niece Samantha (Jordan's mom) was three, she used to climb almost to the top of the dogwood. She called it the magic tree. She spent hours in the branches and leaves. Jilda wrote a children's story based on "The Magic Tree".


  The only concern about the tree is that it' directly underneath the power lines. It's not tall enough to get into the lines, but the power company has a policy of slash and burn when it comes to trees beneath their lines.  
  We've had to stand our ground many times when the tree slayers came to our neighborhood. Thankfully we have an old acquaintance that's been with the power company for many moons. 


  Last summer a crew of tree slayers who now do the work for the power company, came a'callin'.  When I told the trimmer he couldn't cut the tree, he said (yes, I'd call it a snitty tone) that I'd have to talk to his supervisor. I told him to get the supervisor. While he was gone to fetch the bossman to deliver the "bad news" to me, I called my buddy at the power company. I was standing under my dogwood as the supervisor walked into my yard. Before he got to me, I heard his two-way radio screech to life. The voice on the other end, told the supervisor not to bother the dogwood. 


  I could tell that it pained the supervisor that he couldn't put me in my place. He simply shook his head and turned to walk away. He called out over his shoulder as he was getting into his truck -- I'm not sure who you know mister, cause we ALWAYS get the trees out of the right-of-way.
  I wish I had more clout with Mother Nature.

7 comments:

  1. sometimes you need to cast the spell.

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  2. I enjoyed your story very much. good luck with mother nature and keep nurturing that dogwood. regards, robert

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  3. Phew, I was nervous for a minute and thought you lost the tree. I hear ya, she can be a meany. Every spring when the early crocuses come up, it seems to rain so much I never get to enjoy them. One fall we went to New Hampshire to see the fall foliage and a big rain and wind storm blew most of the beautiful leaves off the trees. Hardly any color left when we got there!

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  4. It's good to know people in high places. Good for you! Sounds like a beautiful tree.

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  5. Didn't realize that dogwoods could get that big!

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  6. Glad you saved your tree.

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  7. Don't you just hate it when people take a snitty tone?

    Hope I avoided one in today's post you might enjoy called On tour with Dorothy and Toto in Ireland. :)

    Have a great day with your dogwood, undeniably one of the most beautiful trees in the land!

    And a pox on all tree-slayers!

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