About my chainsaw

I am bigger, my saw smaller

After tonight I will write only six more daily blogs.  I think I told you this was my task to determine if I still had writing ability and to bond with my computer.  I am writing, we are bonding and on February first I am resurrecting my novel, “Death in Dallas”.   After that readers can expect a new No one asked me every few days.  But for now, let me tell you about the time when no one asked me if I had a chain saw.

Steve and I were visiting our friends Marilyn and John Howe at their cottage on the Belleisle; when John mentioned he needed a tree removed.   It was a softwood, approximately thirty feet tall and a foot and a half in diameter at the butt ;( sorry I don’t do trees in metric).  We talked about the cost of getting someone in to that remote location. When suddenly I remembered, I had a chain saw. 

see height of trees

“John, I just remembered I have a chain saw, I will come up and take the tree down for you.”   “No!”  Was the unanimous reply from both John and my husband.  I went on to explain that my saw had been Steve’s fathers. It was electric and not really large but I was sure it would do the job.   

It was decided that John would purchase the saw from me. And that Steve, John and yours truly would fell the tree. And on a scheduled day we arrived to do just that. There were a number of practice cuts and John proclaimed the chain to be dull. I informed him that it could be filed; the men gave each other “the look” and thought that a new chain could be purchased at Canadian Tire. In the end the guys used the chainsaw, with the dull but operable chain as I could not handle the vibrations.

Marilyn on the deck, we removed tree just touching the rail

The men were quite surprised that we had to tie off the tree, cut out a wedge chunk and plan where it would fall.   I have seen too many hung trees and smashed buildings not to plan first. Several generations of lumbering fore fathers did not fail me.  We brought it down straight and true.  Now John no longer needs to worry about this tree crashing through a window.

And no one asked me about my chainsaw.