Have you ever made a decision that you know deep down was the wrong one to make but you did it anyway? That is how I feel about deciding to not have Jimmy cut down Buzzy’s walnut tree.
Recall that it was only one week ago (click here) yesterday that a thunderstorm microburst swept thru Buzzy’s knocking a locust tree limb down on JW’s Mustang and Francis Goddard’s truck. The storm also dropped an elm tree out back onto the fence around the boats and campers in the Buzzy storage lot. Photo here was taken after JW had removed his vehicle. Duncan is shown directing the cleanup efforts as Clyde and Marshall look on.
The day after the storm and the trees falling, Jimmy of Bay Forest Tree Company dropped down to Buzzy’s to survey the damages. I asked him to take down the rest of the locust tree, clean up the fallen tree mess out back and to make the walnut tree go away too. Jimmy said he would be down first thing Tuesday morning to do the work. He said he would clean up the two storm-tossed trees first thing and then start on cutting down the walnut tree.
That was the initial plan. However, throughout Saturday and then off and on Sunday and Monday, I kept debating whether or not to have Jimmy cut down the walnut tree. As you long time readers of the Buzzyblog are well aware, this is not the first time that I have been back and forth on cutting down Mr. Walnut (click here for previous post where I put the issue up for a vote from my Buzzy folks and friends. The overall consensus landed on NOT cutting it down.)
So Monday night, as I was thinking over what my Tuesday involved, I had second thoughts on cutting down the walnut tree. I knew that cutting it down was the prudent thing to do; but I also knew that prudence and I have always had a somewhat tenuous relationship. Like I do when forced to make a decision that I don’t really want to make, I looked for reasons not to make it. I thought “Well, if Jimmy doesn’t show up Tuesday, I don’t have to decide this right now.”
And of course Jimmy showed up first thing Tuesday morning.
When Jenny texted me at 7 a.m. that Jimmy was at the Store chainsawing away, I knew I was “on the clock” as to making a decision about the walnut tree’s fate. A second thing I often do when confronted with a decision that I don’t want to make is to consult wife Pam for her advice about it. In this case however, I knew beforehand that her response would be what I expected it to be “You should have cut that damn thing down a long time time ago.” (Only she didn’t say damn.)
My final crutch, or option, in trying to make a decision that I don’t want to make is to look for a sign. I used to say “pray for a sign” but that makes it sound like I am a religious/spiritually inclined kinda guy when in actuality I am not. So leave at – I look for a sign,
And guess what? The sign literally fell into my lap. Here’s how I got my sign.
For some time now I have been trying to sort thru my big mess of a collection of old photos. I have shoe boxes, albums, desk drawers and envelopes all stuffed with old photos none of which are in any organized fashion. In addition to all of the photos that I have taken thru the years, I have Buzzy’s collection of photos that he took at the Store. Additionally, I also have a couple of Mom’s albums that she assembled thru the years.
When thumbing thru one of Mom’s photo albums then, this 1958 photo of my sister Donna Jean and me posing with Dad fell out.
Once I had gotten past trying to figure out if that was a rope I was using as a belt, or just what it was, my eyes landed on you-know-what looming there in the background. I thanked Mom for sending this my way and immediately texted Jimmy to ask him to not cut down the walnut tree. Jimmy later informed me that when he got my text, he was just about to start cutting the walnut tree down.
OK, what do you say? A schmaltzy kind of post like this should have a schmaltzy kind of tune to accompany it right? How about then I leave you with this guilty little pleasure favorite of mine from Feist: