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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Ah, The Joys Of Home Ownership - Updated!

Anyone who's been reading here for any length of time has figured out that I love meteorology, and I get all excited when severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are predicted. Last Wednesday night karma came to bite me in the you-know-what in the form of a thunderstorm the likes of which I associate with Spring in the Midwest. There was one blinding flash of lightning and eardrum-shattering blast of thunder that left me hoping none of our neighbors' houses were hit. As it turns out, they weren't. Instead, it turned out to be one of the fourty feet tall swamp maples in our backyard:


Kevin found it yesterday, bark blasted off the tree in ginormous pieces and thrown several yards away from the tree.


And, worse still, the tree is splitting in two right down the middle of the trunk. We've already sent out an SOS to our arborist. I hope we can save the tree. It provides so much shade in our yard, and lots of birds and squirrels live there.

Also? Our dryer and dishwasher are both on the fritz, so I'll be calling about those tomorrow as well. And there goes the July budget just.like.that.

On the other hand, it's still better than renting and waiting for a landlord to take action. I think.

Evening update - The arborist was fairly alarmed at the sight of the tree, saying it could come down at any moment, even in the light breeze we had today. The tree unfortunately has to go for safety reasons. Since more severe weather is predicted here for Thursday, and Wednesday is a holiday, the crew will be here tomorrow bright and early to take it down. On the plus side, all the equipment will keep Liam entertained. On the down side, the estimate is $2200. Ouch.

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7 Comments:

  • oh no! poor tree. i hope you can save it.
    we aren't so fond of our trees come fall, but in the summer we sure love them for their shade. :)

    By Blogger Crunchy Domestic Goddess, at Monday, July 02, 2007 12:36:00 AM  

  • Wow! Hopefully he can wire the two halves together...

    Too bad you don't live closer, I have a great repair guy who just fixed our washer dryer on Friday!

    By Blogger chichimama, at Monday, July 02, 2007 7:47:00 AM  

  • Poor tree! I hope you can save it!! Also, hope that the dryer and dishwasher can be fixed ASAP.

    By Blogger Steph, at Monday, July 02, 2007 4:37:00 PM  

  • Ouch that one has to hurt the wallet! Poor tree too of course. Your yard is going to seem so empty now :( I always remember as a kid when my parents had to take down this old birch tree I used to climb cause it was dying, I was so sad.

    By Blogger Christy, at Monday, July 02, 2007 11:12:00 PM  

  • Oh yes it certainly will keep Liam entertained! We lost a tree last year to the emerald ash borer. None of us could tear ourselves away from that window the whole entire time they were there. I was every bit as excited as my 3yo. My condolences, and I hope you enjoy the show. ;)

    By Blogger Julie, at Monday, July 02, 2007 11:49:00 PM  

  • Ouch is right. On the up side, plenty of firewood to lay in for next winter... :)

    By Blogger Rebecca, at Tuesday, July 03, 2007 8:10:00 AM  

  • Holy Cow! (and ouch!)
    I like storms too. Had a therapist one time who suggested it was the only acceptable way I could find to let out my anger- letting nature do it for me : )
    We just bought a new washer today- our old one needed repairs one too many times. I'm hoping the drier hangs in a little longer.

    By Blogger amakice, at Tuesday, July 03, 2007 4:33:00 PM  

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