TREE SURGERY ...

EXPENSIVE,

BUT IMAGINE THE COSTS OF

 NOT HAVING IT DONE !!!

SURGERY FOR AN OLD FRIEND...POSSIBLY 59 YEARS OLD (BY MY RING COUNT)



TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH...SPLIT ENDS!



THIS IS THE OTHER SIDE. HERE THE HOUSE IS ON THE RIGHT. ANYBODY RECOGNIZE THE ANCHOR?

NOTE HOW ALL LIMBS ARE GROWING OUT TOWARDS THE HOUSE!

SEEING DAYLIGHT THROUGH THE CRACKS ALREADY

NO JOB FOR ORDINARY CITIZENS

TALK ABOUT TIED UP, WAY UP!!!

YES, YEARS AGO I DID CLIMB THIS TREE AND INSTALL AN ANTENNA UP ABOVE WHERE THE ROPE IS NOW. SEE IT? OR WHAT IS LEFT OF IT?

TOOLS OF THE TRADE
SEE THE SPIKE ON THAT "BOOTLEGGER"?

MANY LIMBS DOWN, FEW YET TO GO

NOTCHING A WEDGE OUT PRIOR TO FELLING THE TREE

LOOKING GOOD

REASSURANCE THAT WE DID THE RIGHT THING IN REMOVING TREE:
 THE SPLIT UP THE MIDDLE TELLS THE TALE 

A BETTER LOOK AT THE ANTENNAE -
AND YEARS OF GROWTH OVER WHERE IT WAS ORIGINALLY CABLED AGAINST A TREE TOP LIMB

BETTER HERE THAN ALL THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE, AND THE CAR, AND THE TRUCK, AND THE TRAILER...

RUMBLING... ? I Asked. No Grumbling now, just Thanking God for the Grace that Saved us last night!!!

These cables were about two feet off the ground until mid-afternoon

OUCH!

...looking out my back door.

This monsterous oak is leaning towards the house...

and is also splintered all around it. It is a miracle that it didn't come down on us.

There used to be a canopy of trees there. Now there is a space about as big as a football field that is "topless".

Not the azaleas pictures that I hoped to post here.

I think I took about 247 pictures. Here are just a few to give you some of the reasons why I missed going to classes on Tuesday, 5th of April, 2011. Even after staying up all night, I planned to sleep a few hours and at least make it to my 3:30 class. I couldn't get out of the driveway because of telephone cables. No water, no electricity, amazing how dependent we have become on such "luxuries" of life.

Is that RUMBLING I Hear ?

YIKES !!!

It is!

This image I observed at 0045 hours on 4-5-2011.

I think I'll check out the large, interactive radar...

                                      WOW, LOOKOUT YALL...

IT'S STRETCHED ALL OUT AND ACROSS !!!

The Buzz about the Bee, Birds Excluded

BLOOMING AZALEAS AND BUZZING BEES !!!

Fluctuations

4.86 feet at 0045 hours on 4-4-11;

The river level, as I know it at the present time; thanks to USGS.

 If it weren't for this remote monitoring system that sends in data to their website every two hours or so, I wouldn't have a clue what the river is doing right now. Actually I could assume that the river level is falling - because I haven't seen any rain in a few days, but you know what that would mean. Assumptions are ...well, you probably already know about assumptions. Too many times have I already assumed; too many times I have also assumed something about the river level and been wrong too. It is not uncommon that there is rain up north of here and we don't know anything about it until the river has risen. Once, since I have observing the river levels, the river rose over 24 feet in a 24 hour period. TALK ABOUT RAIN! I scurried to the river just in the nick of time to save a kayak form being washed away. Did I mention that once I lost a kayak due to a rapidly rising river? That, thank goodness, has been many years ago. Currently, the river would have to rise to over 30 or maybe even 40 feet before my kayak would be endangered. The last time I moved it I made pretty sure that it was safe. Why am I telling you  this? You have probably heard it all before, right? I don't know, just rambling on, I reckon. Reminising what it would be like to see the river. A weak without it makes one weak! At least it seems to do so to me! Well, enough of my whining, already! Why don't I just go out side and take some pictures of the blooming azaleas?! Because it is too dark right now. It is about 2:30 in the morning and I just wanted to vent some after working a 14-hour non-stop extremely busy shift in the ER. Yeah, I know. I talked about the azaleas. no promises but I hope to get out and get some pictures soon. Maybe even this afternoon. Who knows, don't let me forget. For now, I think I might better go get some sleep. I have a lot of studying to do to make up for working this week-end. Both shifts were non-stop. Today was just a day from ...you know, use your imagination. Hopefully you are imagining something better than what I dealt with today. Actually, today was, in one respect,  better that yesterday.  No one vomited on me today. Count my blessings!!! Yall come back now, ya hear? Love you! EMS.