TAKING OUT THE MAPLE TREE

Nov. 11 -- and maple has yet to drop leaves

Mike likes to fix things when they fail. Not me. I have noted in my years of marriage – and even before – that fixed things don’t stay fixed. As much as I believe in “reduce-reuse-recycle,” I still maintain that attempting to fix things that weren’t meant to be fixed can be a waste of time and money. Fixed things are subject to breaking again. Sometimes we have to turn to that other “re” – “replace.”

The beginning of the end

So, when the leaf blower quit working, I said, “Just replace it." I tried to appeal to his sense of value. "You deserve one that works,” I said. But it seemed to Mike that even though we’d had it several years, he hadn't used it all that much. So, he tried to fix it – making calls, ordering parts, spending time on it – and in the end it wouldn’t start.

Then it occurred to us – if the tree was gone, we wouldn’t have leaves, and we wouldn’t need a leaf blower!! For various reasons, the subject of removing the maple tree has come up from time to time in the 15+ years since Mike planted it. And while he said he would miss sitting under it in the summer, we agreed that it’s overgrown and leaf removal is a lot of work – at least two big pick-up loads of leaves each November. I also think that it’s not a pretty tree. In autumn, the leaves take their own sweet time turning from green to yellow, while a smaller volunteer maple sitting nearby is a gorgeous red. Why not take out the older maple and allow the little guy a chance?

As it now stands

At first, I thought we would have it professionally removed, but that was never Mike’s plan. Once the decision to remove was made, he couldn’t wait to start the process. And though it went unspoken, I immediately realized that I would be “first assistant.” “Ask Clint to help,” I suggested.

“I’m not going to waste Clint’s time with what I can do myself,” said Mike. And of course, there is that. As seniors, we want to do what we can do for ourselves for as long as we can, and we don’t want to bother the youngsters who have their own lives.

A growing pile of maple firewood

So – yeah – I went out and helped. I threw branches into the pick-up and tugged on limbs by means of a rope while Mike sawed. And Friday, Clint came over and helped when more skill was required – someone who could actually control the pick-up; someone with enough spatial acumen to advise Mike – and Clint has that gift.

The next step is to rent a manlift in order to take down the higher limbs. KW