To me, a chainsaw in someone else's hands is like watching a child lean over the railing at the Grand Canyon. You want to believe that they know what they are doing but deep down (ok, not that deep down), you are panicked that they don't possess the same common sense that the rest of us do and at any moment they might do something senseless and life-altering.
It's not really a safety issue with the chainsaw though. Heck, I've had a couple close calls myself. What scares me is what the person wants to do with that chainsaw. That's where the senseless and life-altering bit comes into play.
And this weekend my worst fears came true. The guy behind me decided to cut down a perfectly beautiful tree that had, until Saturday, given me something green to look at all year long.
At first I thought he was just cutting off a few branches . . . you know, maybe he just wanted to do some cosmetic limbing up. I guessed that would be okay. But a few minutes later, while the Seahawks were on their way to an unpredictable victory over the favored Saints - a feat that I should have been ecstatic about - all I could do was stare out the window with a tense jaw and a helpless rage as I watched the top of the tree start to angle and then fall, taking with it my happy Saturday.
Now I'm left with the view in this picture
which I do not find particularly beautiful. Truthfully, I hate this view now but I'm trying desperately not to overreact. Although I had no intention of doing something different in the flower bed here, this problem has kick-started my creative juices. I'm thinking of moving the weeping cherry tree planted here and replacing it with something faster growing and evergreen. Or maybe I'll choose a tall Japanese maple with striking winter interest? My neighbor apparently hates perfectly good trees (and perhaps he hates me as well) but I don't. So this weekend I have a date with the nursery.
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