How the view has changed...

By Penny4athought

Sun, 19 Apr 2020
  • 1434 reads
8 comments
 

Staying home is spinning my head in many directions – I am worried for the state of the world’s health – I am worried for the continuing health of my own family and friends. I am worried for our sanity of staying within these once loved walls of a humble abode…and even as I contemplate on all the things I can do, now that my time is all mine…truth be told…I’ve found couch potato defines me too much these days. At least that was true until last Wednesday, when a storm hit the area and a downspout tossed trees from my neighbor’s yard into mine, making mine a veritable forest.

I now have an array of birds sitting on branches that nearly touch the back windows of my screened in porch, looking in and wondering what the heck happened to their perch and there's a slew of squirrels running through the grounded tree branches confused about where their buried nuts have gone.

It is amazing and wonderful to see these baffled friends of nature but it is also worrisome- I certainly can’t keep the huge amount of oak tree limbs and other undefined tree parts covering more than half my yard not to mention those unsteady large limbs that are tottering against my own oak tree and threatening with any swift wind to fall onto my house or through my screened windows (neither are comfortable thoughts) - no I cannot keep this storm made forest, not even for the beautiful nature it brings closer to my door.

So we called in an arborist to assess the clean up but, OH MY!...We’ve had a lesson on what it costs to cut and cart away this amount of debris – apparently, it's not cheap to remove a small forest from one’s yard. And since he’s had many calls such as ours, we’ll also have to wait to be on his calendar.

Now the weather channel has again found its rotation in our viewing list.

This act of nature immediately obliterated my couch potato zombie-ism too – now I am wide-eyed awake and thinking arborist is a nice business to be in, if your not afraid of heights.

Silly me, to think couch potato was not a fun state of being, oh for the days of mindless non-blinking TV watching, potato chip munching days of yore, when all I had to do was decide Hallmark or Lifetime?

Certificate 12
Non-fiction
Other Non-fiction

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Penny,

I'm so sorry to hear of your situation. I do know how you feel as a similar thing happened to us. Our neighbours huge trees fell into our garden during a bad storm and completely ruined our garden, knocking down fences and hitting the roof of our outhouse, though we were lucky enough to have a neighbour that paid for the mess to be taken away. But your description of the squirrels running through the tree branches bought back memories as they had been nesting in the fallen branches.

This happened about three years ago, my only assurance to you is that nature does return and your garden will survive. I really hope there is no more damage and that normality returns for you sooner rather than later.

Take care.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

Hi Jenny, yes it has changed the landscape but not completely terrible, as I do love seeing the birds up close and I love the serenity of it- but it is not logical to leave this menagerie of tree limbs in our yard - Frankie my dog is struggling with enough and having his world so drastically changed, is not comforting to him either. So we are waiting for the crew to come and take it all away and tidy up our world again. I will still have my 40 ft Live Oak but I am not sure if the smaller holly trees will survive - we will not know until they are uncovered from those fallen trees.

Thanks for reading and as always, your kind comments are appreciated.smiley

Penny4athought

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Just what you really really don't need at the moment! It must be interesting to watch the puzzled wildlife though - and your account of it all was fascinating. Hope you manage to restore order in the end, and thank you for posting this

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

So true insert, it is not at all what I needed just now but I am trying to make the best of it. Thank you for reading and of course for your kind comment, much appreciated.smiley

Penny4athought

Submitted by onemorething on

It's important for our wellbeing to be close to nature, but this is a little too close. Sorry this happened now of all times, hope it gets cleared soon for your peace of mind at least. Poor oak tree too being knocked over. Enjoyed reading about your close encounter with a sudden forest. Rachel :)

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

I do love nature but it is definitely a little too close for comfort. Thank you onemore for your concern and glad you enjoyed the read.

Penny4athought

Submitted by airyfairy on

Oh, Penny, not what you need at the moment, even if it does bring you closer to nature!  And those poor squirrels!  

Do hope you manage to get it sorted out before too long.  There is one thing - it prompted a lovely piece of writing.

Submitted by Penny4athought on

So kind of you to say it was a lovely read- thank you airyfairy- we have our fingers crossed they will come this week to cart it away...or next at the latest...hopefully the latest.frown

Penny4athought