Up a Tree

Up a Tree

September 2, 2011

J. Glenn Eugster

When I was a younger man living in Atlanta, married and with a daughter, I lost my job one year because I held out for a bigger raise.  My spouse wanted me to get more money and after being offered a nice raise she urged me to go in and ask for more--and tell my boss that unless I got more I would leave.   He said fine and I left unemployed.  So how was it for you dear?

Looking for work I offered my landscaping services to people through a newspaper ad.  I got a call about cutting down a damaged tree and arranged to do the worked in a suburb of Atlanta.  I arrived to find a pine tree leaning over a split level home.  It was a job I hadn't performed before but we needed the money so I agreed to take it down even though I didn't have the skill or the insurance to cover the work.

I looked it over, and over, and over, pondering my next move.  Then I remembered that my Uncle Joe knew how to cut trees.  I called him on the phone and told him of the situation.  He verbally walked me through what I needed to do to bring the tree down.  I tied the tree top, roped it around another tree, and pulled it back far enough so that when I cut it the tree would fall missing the house.  

Uncle Joe was clear on what I had to do and with my heart pounding I did what he told me.  I cut a little, pulled hard, and then cut some more.  I must have spent an hour pulling and cutting, pulling and cutting, being careful not to cut too much into the tree trunk so as to drop the tree on the house. 

I kept at it until it was about two or three feet from where it needed to fall.  With my hands now blistered and raw from cutting and pulling I cut the trunk far enough to be able to pull it hard enough to bring it down.  It missed the roof with about 18" to spare.  I was joyous and called Uncle Joe to tell him of the success I experienced.  Once I calmed down I cut-up the rest of the tree, got my check and headed home.

These days I negotiate my own salary and pay others to cut trees down.  Uncle Joe is in another place and I need to be careful what I say yes to.