Our non-tidal fishing seasons are all closed now, and winter is creeping slowly in. I hadn't seen my best fishing bud for a week or so. I decided to take down a big white spruce in the yard, so I gave him a call to see if he wanted to help. He's added about 100 lbs since his Moose of the Woods days, but he's still a hard worker and danged good company. Besides, he's felled more trees than most people today have seen, and I always like a second set of eyes when swinging the gas-axe. I knew he'd say yes.

As is always the case, the minute the chainsaw comes out, the wind started blowing briskly in the direction you don't want the tree to fall: toward the shed. I climbed up as high as I dared, and tied a rope to it; he tied the other end to the truck as insurance. He snugged up the rope with the truck til what we agreed was an E#, had the same discussion we always have about the relative merits of the conventional notch and the humbolt notch, made some noise and some sawdust, and dropped it roughly where I aimed. (He likes to drive a stick in the ground where he plans to drop a tree and usually nails it; I'm pretty happy with 5 degrees and no damage or injuries).

We set to work trimming the branches and dragging them to the fire hole. We cut the stem up into 16" pieces and hauled them to the wood pile. Yeah, I know, but its ok wood for late spring and early fall. All of that took about an hour. We spent the balance of the day sitting on lawn chairs, feeding the fire (which at times must have been visible from space). My neighbour stopped on his way home from a woodcock hunt and we talked dogs, birds, and which of our neighbours we should coerce into buying a wood chipper. His dogs were restless, so he left. I went up to the house and made some coffee, and we sat and covered our families' health, the recent federal election, and got down to the vastly more important business of reliving the last fishing season, followed by planning the next. Based on wild speculation and unfounded optimism, its gonna be the best year yet.

He headed home at moonrise, and I just watched the coals for a while. Mostly I thought about how, if you're lucky enough, a truck, a saw and a good friendship can turn a tree into a fond memory.
brent

No, Cliff. That fire was more of a smelter than a cooker. But the good news is I won't have to trim my eyebrows or shave my arms for a while.
brent

Hipshot: Good thoughts to you, my friend. I hope you have some fond memories to help with your healing.

So sorry to hear that, Jim. May the Lord watch over you and comfort you and help you to heal in time. Losing a loved one is probably the hardest thing we will ever go through in life, it leaves an emptiness and darkness inside of us like we would have never believed possible. Call the Hospice Homeplace of East Texas in Tyler, 903-266-3400, and ask them to send you their booklets on grieving, they will help you tremendously.

No problem, hipshot. Wasn't much of a thread, just me mumbling on the keyboard.
brent