A few years back, I walked out my back door and saw a large tree limb from one pecan tree hanging low over my shed in the backyard. These trees are grafted and have huge pecans on them, so when the trees get loaded with pecans, the limbs will nearly hang to the ground, and sometimes the load is too much, and then the tree limbs will break. I had watched Frank use his chainsaw many times, cutting the broken limbs from the trees then sawing them into small pieces. So, of course, I thought by watching Frank that I knew how to do it.
Walking up to the tree, I saw that the limb was, in fact, broken and only hanging by half of its diameter. It looked like the limb was about twelve inches in diameter. I knew this was something that I could handle with the electric chainsaw, which had been purchased a few years back after realizing Frank’s gas-powered chainsaw weighed at least 500 lbs and would take a 300 lb., 7ft tall lumberjack to pick it up, but that is another story.
I walked into the garage got a 100-foot extension cord, the chainsaw, chainsaw oil, and a three large step folding paint utility ladder. The folding ladder has a large tray on the top on one side to set a paint can. I love this ladder because you can put tools on the tray while doing what you choose to do, like hanging new ceiling fans. Oh, sorry, that’s another story, too.
Anyway, I set up the ladder under the tree limb, plugged the extension cord plug into an outlet in the garage, oiled the chainsaw, then plugged it into the extension cord. Of course, I made sure to tie the two cords together thangy, plug them together, which Frank taught me to do, and then start the chainsaw to let the oil get on the blade and chain.
I was thinking to myself that I might need to go inside and grab the portable house phone. You never know when someone might call, or someone might need some help! I turned the chainsaw off and then placed it on the tray on the ladder then stepped back to study the whole situation.
After placing the phone on the ladder tray, I took a deep breath, stepped up on the third step of the ladder, picked up the chainsaw, started it, and started cutting the limb from the top but decided that maybe, I should cut from the bottom of the tree limb. Well, if you have ever done this, you know that the tree limb caught that chainsaw and chain, pinched the blade in the limb, and the chainsaw stopped!
Good grief!
Now the chainsaw was stuck in the limb with an orange extension cord hanging from it to the ground. Of course, I immediately looked around to see if anyone was watching and wondering why we had to have a chainlink fence instead of a wood privacy fence.
I assessed the situation and realized that the limb was only hanging about four feet from the ground and that if pushed up, the chainsaw would become unpinched. I walked about six feet away from the ladder with chainsaw hanging above it, then lifted the limb with all my strength and shook it.
All of a sudden, the chain saw fell on and bounced off the tray on the ladder sending the phone flying, which landed about six feet from the ladder sending the batteries inside flying out into the yard! All I could say was, “Wow!”. Unfortunately, I heard a man’s voice from the road to the right of me, then turned to see a man stopped on the road in a pickup.
He said, “Lady, do you need some help?”
I smiled my biggest smile and said, “No, Sir. I meant to do that.”
Well, I got that tree limb cut down, cut into pieces, and I still have all of my human limbs.
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A fun story, Nancy. I remember cutting down Chinese elm trees in the yard behind my small apartment. I only had a hand saw. I asked my landlady’s permission before I did it. But those branches were quite thin compared with yours. Not sure I would trust myself with a chain saw. That might just be a recipe for disaster. A jig saw is more my style. Though I am not a widow, I have had to do many things on my own as I have always been single. I laid carpet once. That was a story in itself, too. Maybe I’ll tell you some day.
Thank you, Diane, for your comment. I was not very skilled with that electric chainsaw but I learned as I went along which seems to be the way I learn things. Thank goodness, it had a trigger that you had to hold down to keep it running. I really enjoyed our talk last night and I learned a lot from you. I can’t wait to hear your story of laying carpet, it has to be awesome.
Thinking as a single woman, you have some awesome do it yourself stories.
God Bless,
Nancy