TREED Paul Bunyan and crew have savaged our yard at the lake. Whether in retrospect, this was a good move, only time will tell. That tree has been the "proverbial" thorn in our side since we moved in the place. Constantly "weeping" it's branches and leaves all over the yard I at least got plenty of exercise picking up sticks and not in a good way. Pro-tree offered good shade to a mostly unused portion of deck. Cons-everything else. Home to woodpeckers slowly cleaning out the insides of branches; ominous creaking and branches dropping during windstorms. Threats to the fence below and diving board for escaping squirrels. An ominous lean toward the canal just a little more noticeable each year. Constant complaints from the neighbor who's house was in the line of fire if ole weepie actually lost the battle with gravity.
It's a neighbor's tree company so an offer of a great deal of $xxx for removal. Oh, you want the wood removed? Duh? Another $Xxx. Whoops-can't bring my super-duper topper/lopper in the yard another $XXx. Licensed and insured, well $XXX! Damn so glad it was a benevolent neighbor ripping me off. Much better than a stranger. Easier to complain whenever I see them.
No doubt the grand dog and grand son will miss it. One liked to lay under its shade and contemplate squirrel incursions; the other liked to pee near it when he could get away with it. Guess which is which.
SINGLE FILE At least they brought a full crew for the woody demolition. Other tree folk I have engaged tend to work solo with fancy acrobatics and rope competencies on display. We would grab a couple of brewskis and lawn chairs to enjoy the show. Working alone was one of the issues I needed to negotiate when I was a safety skate. Much of the work on off-hours was more maintenance or observation-type. Why send a crew when one set of eyes will do? Of course it never stops there.
One notable evening it was decided (by one appropriately named "trouble man") that the job could not wait for morning. So cranking up the old truck bucket with some sluggish hydrualic fluid seemed a reasonable idea at 3 am. Up was fine; down not so much. After much contemplation and a non-functioning radio the result was an attempt to lower oneself from the edge of the bucket. Good plan except for not nailing the landing resulting in a compound fracture. Reconstructing accidents is always a game of hindsight 20-20. How to weigh economic issuses against a worker's desire to take care of the problem. Which is why we try to design jobs and operations so failure does not threaten injury or death in a misguided decision. We make our employers crazy with our "what if" scenerios, but our "what ifs" is how we play the game. Do not pass GO without your personal protective gear.
Another challenge was the one-person and a truck checking canned lift stations which are part of the active sewer system located underground with one way in and out. I made the plunge, but with my claustrophobic tendencies it was a one-time deal to understand the problem. Really good phone communication before and after as there are, surprise, no rules against working alone. Talk about your confined spaces.
YOGA-A GO GO Speaking of exercise (huh?) my option I guess. After meeting with the surgeon from Hell on my knee/hip/leg issues he asked if I was taking meds, engaging in PT and trying yoga. So finally made it to the third leg of the stool and hit a couple of yoga sessions at my local community center. Those who know me understand my total disdain for "group" exercise with a leader exhorting the girls to "keep going" "you've got it" "great energy" bleahh. I'd rather cut my leg off than get involved with the rah rah BS. Anyway for $2 a session I gave it a try.
First off all the ladies are my age or older so that's a plus. The majority are in pretty good shape and in yoga you don't talk-you concentrate-all good. Being a crippled newbie when these gals stretch, I'm stifling my groans as I try to move extremely painful joints in some version of the "dancing coconut" or "bouncing ginko" positions these ladies are assuming. I usually start a movement and fall off partway through. As the room is dimly lit to better concentrate I'm straining mightily to ascertain the movement shown by the leader and usually get it wrong. It seems rude to focus on those nearest (who may be performing their own unique version of the buttressing icicle) but one has little choice. The tingey tangey music is kind of nice too, but the cool-down relaxed breathing exercise at the end is totally lost on me as I just want to get up and out of there. And the namaste part makes me giggle. Like we were able to achieve nirvana staring up at the ceiling of an old classroom with insulation hanging out of it, which in my experience, is probably asbestos or silica-deep breaths, not so much. Chalk it up also to my normally impatient nature, though I will keep trying.
DR DR Latest medical intervention this week was a deep steroid injection into my spine. Another nail in the coffin of my arthritic body looking for relief (short of death obviously). Who needs sedation? I've done natural childbirth and ran where others merely limped. Valium is my go-to. Just enough to take the anxiety level down and stay fully conscious so I can wax hilariously with the medical staff during the procedure.
One of my previous medical "bon mots" was during a colonoscophy where my surgeon also happened to be my breast cancer doctor who had the pleasure of attacking both ends of my problems so to speak. He had students in the room and courteously asked if I had a problem with it. Of course not I said and informed the room that Dr. X was actually my T's and A man. Dead silence but he laughed, bless his heart. Young people just have no sense of humor. Thankfully I do not remember anything after that.
At any rate, no pain so the next day I started back on my 10 mile a day walking although technically it was suggested to "ease into my routine" over a week or two-as if. Just a little numbness so hopefully I haven't screwed this up. Go State and Peace out.....💚 💙💛
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