The Black Vault

[Cole_Trickle]

Well maybe not too stupid, but stupid enough
It saddened me to have to put the big boy down, but after Ike and the ice-storm, not to mention the 4 70 plus mph wind gust t-storms that caused further damage, it had to be done.

I climbed and removed some huge branches from the last remaining spar, this took two weeks of work, slow, steady, and very careful. When he was neutered down to the last 40 plus feet of spar, I felled him with the stihl, made me sick.

200 Plus year old White Oaks don't grow on trees ya know But he was unsafe especially with my kids playing out back and this whacked out neighbor looking for an insurance payout should he have fallen on his property.

Anyway the bucking and splitting has been going on for days on end, massive tree he was. No worries something I've done too many times to count, all by hand, axe and wedges.........Then it happened, the stupid rookie mistake.

I've been fighting a few things, physically ( nasty cold ) mentally---kids, school, etc..Yet in my need for finishing the job I messed up.

Split a large chunk of the log, heavy, 200 plus lbs. Wedged it and reached in to pull the piece away, only the wedge hung up on the log, probably due to my weakened state of mind. Usually it slides down the split and makes for breaking any hanging fibers with the axe a simple task.

Yes the piece will snap back toward the log you're splitting, no problem when the wedges has slid down the split, big problem when it hangs and wedge meets middle finger when middle finger has no place to go...

You should be thinking " child birth type of pain about now " My threshold is extremely high so I was mostly pissed as hell at myself for being so utterly freaking stupid.

Nail cracked and has become a nice shade of dark Blue/Black....probably lose it in time... After icing the hell out of it for 30 minutes, until it was dead...........I split 3 ricks, maybe 4..almost a cord..

This was three days ago and it still twitches ever now and then..lol


So, so long old friend and thanks for the badge.


Stihl lots and lots of cutting and splitting ahead.

Cole

[capricorn]

Sorry for you loss, and I mean that sincerely. I love trees especially ones like you describe. Pictures?

[greeney2]

Was the tree diseased? Most tree claims are deemed "Acts of God", unless prior knowledge of a tree disease in known, and a neighbor puts you on notice. At that point the legal football is in your court. WE have neighbors who tell us to cut down our Chinese elms, but we love them. Our house would be hot as heck in summer without them, and we love sitting in front under them. They do need topping and pruning however, which I need to have done. They have no diseases and they only occasionally drop a limb, usually in dry spells of the summer, never even in high winds, like we are having today.

[Cole_Trickle]

Was the tree diseased? Most tree claims are deemed "Acts of God", unless prior knowledge of a tree disease in known, and a neighbor puts you on notice. At that point the legal football is in your court. WE have neighbors who tell us to cut down our Chinese elms, but we love them. Our house would be hot as heck in summer without them, and we love sitting in front under them. They do need topping and pruning however, which I need to have done. They have no diseases and they only occasionally drop a limb, usually in dry spells of the summer, never even in high winds, like we are having today.

Hit by Ike-----then hit by a massive ice storm..

Don't top trees...ever!

Call a certified Arborist ...............

Tell neighbors to get boned!

Cole

[greeney2]

Unlike you, I get along with my neighbors.

[Cole_Trickle]

Unlike you, I get along with my neighbors.

lol.....I get along well with everyone, just not absolute pricks who think that they are the only ones on the planet, much less residents of the immediate area.

Has a flock of f,ing Roosters and hens....in a massive coop/hen house.....Yeah the bastards crow at all hours.....loudly.....Never said crap about raising them, not to me or any other of the local neighbors. Wish you were here to SMELL THEM when it was 100 plus for weeks this past summer and the fatassed bastard was too lazy to clean the coop////...

Trust me Greeney ( this is no bull ) he has tried twice ( ever since the incident ) to talk with me.....both times his voice was cracking and he was obviously very nervous...scared like.....THERE IS A SPECIFIC REASON FOR HIS ANGST... Only I'm not such an ass...............so despite his and his lard ass wife's BS.............I CONTINUE TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD. And boy howdy it ain't easy.

He needs some tree work done........hell will freeze over first before I ever climb for him.

Flood lights. video cams, trail cams..........security lighting which is absolute f,ing overkill x's 10...Complete idiot is putting it mildly, very mildly. Salt licks...various other baits......and the deer tear the hell outta everything not tied down.........got one of my dwarf pines last week...damn tree is 35 years old and never touched.....A Buck ripped the piss out of it......You should have seen me rage .......

White Trash Hillbillies................nuff said.

Cole