Dead trees, on the road

During the storms last week, we had some branches fall out of a dead tree that is standing right beside the little building we use as a puppy birthing center. The first branch fell onto the kennel beside the building and shredded the tarp we had covering the kennel. The second and much larger branch fell onto the path we walk to go from the house to the coop area. Since that ended up in her way, Mama called to see if Grandpa could come over and help me take down the rest of the tree. There is still a lot of the tree standing, so asking for help is a wise move. The fact that it leans toward the building and the kennel, makes the request for help even more responsible. However, Grandma somehow took the request to mean that Grandpa and Victoria were going to take on the project alone since the intent is to protect the building he built for her. I am not sure how that all came about, but as Mama tried to clarify and scrape more help together, Grandma took offence and the whole thing got blown out of proportion. So, even though I would appreciate the help, I may end up doing the tree removal on my own. Time will tell.

In the event that I can find the help, there is one more dead tree that is far larger than the one that threatens our birthing center. It is near the pig building. I have let both trees stand because to this point there has been no evidence that the trees were near falling over, but I may have to be more aggressive in eliminating the threat of both. It is not something I would like to do on my own, but it may end up that way. We are nearing the point of having waited too long – and it is not like I have not been given fair warning that something needs to be done to remove the potential danger. When we lived in New Jersey a branch fell out of an oak tree in our neighbor’s yard and struck her oldest son on the head. She was not home. He ran over to our house for help. Head bleeding and nearly passed out from the blow. We called his mom as Mama and I dealt with the injury. It was far from serious, but he did require twelve staples to close the wound. His mom told us later that he was texting pictures to his classmates throughout the treatment at the hospital. Focusing on the staples in his scalp. All that to say, branches being shed by these types of trees is not uncommon. Dead trees falling apart is another issue.

The class I taught yesterday turned out very well. There were thirty-five participants in the class as well as two observers. The challenge in a class of that size is to engage everyone during the entire class; to speak loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear; to make eye contact with everyone. The room is always set up with round tables. Five people to a table. That spreads the class over a large floorspace. Fortunately, my company had a mic that my coworker was able to get set up for me. It made a real difference for those who chose to sit in the very back of the room. It allowed me to engage those who sat the farthest from me. Everyone seemed to enjoy the class and the activities we had along with the class. Even with the mic, my voice was completely worn out by the end of the class. I had to have Bro. Zach lead the singing in the service last night.

Mama is on the road all day today. She left the house this morning headed to Kim Cantrell’s. From there she is going to Muenster – with Kim – to get feed for the farm animals. On the way they are going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant Kim Cantrell feels is one of the best in the area. After that, she is headed to Grandmas for a birthday party. Grandma, Grandpa and Norman have consecutive birthdays, so I am not sure if today is Grandma’s actual birthdate or if it a convenient day to have the party. Mama made a German Chocolate cake for the occasion. She should be home shortly after I get there. I reminded her that she only has 32 days left to get these sort of things done before her second surgery.

I encouraged her to enjoy it while she can.