Forgetting momentarily how clueless I am with anything mechanical, my wife suggested that I go out and rent a chain saw to take care of this little tree problem we woke up to this morning at 2am. I told her that I might as well just cut off my hands right that instant and save the chain saw the bother.
Update 1 (noon, same day) : the tree is still there.
Update 2: the recruiter in me is always there…hit up the guy redoing my neighbor’s driveway: “My chain saw isn’t much of a match for that tree,” he said. “I know what you mean, this $400 in my pocket is feeling really heavy,” I answered. Deal done.
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A couple of years ago my wife got the same bright idea about a birch tree she felt was getting ever uglier in our front yard. Only I did not have $400 burning a hole in my pocket, so off I went to the rental store to get a chain saw for a couple of hours. I had never operated one before, but I am glad to say that the 15-foot tall birch was no match for me and my power tool, and I returned the chain saw to the store with all limbs and digits attached.
That night we attended a large outdoor party. The first person we saw was an orthopedic surgeon. He asked us if we had been at the lake since it was a really nice day. I said, no, I was trying to get enough points to earn my man card, since like you, I am not the least bit mechanical. And that I rented a chain saw for the afternoon. His reply was he had a college roommate who was a smoke jumper in Montana during summer breaks, until that is, he lost his hand in a chain saw accident. The good doc also said chain saws and other power tools are like a “lifetime annuity” for his business.
The second person we saw at the party asked the same question about our activities for the day. Mentioning the chain saw, their reply was, “We had a neighbor who sawed through their leg while trying to take down a tree, and he bled to death in the backyard.” For real.
It did give me pause. And though it ended well in my case, I’m not sure I would have done what I did if I had heard those gruesome stories before I went to the rental center. There are lots of ways to hurt yourself with a chain saw!
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David…a good reminder for all…looks like we are in for more of the same storm wise.
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