A Story of Running and Mangled Trees

I was up this morning, long before the sun decided to peek it's sleepy head over the horizon. I wish I could tell you that I watched an amazing sunrise or simply enjoyed the peace and quiet.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you already know that pretty colors and complete silence aren't enough to get this night owl out of bed before the sun. The blame lies with my boy and his unwavering enthusiasm for Track Club.

That's right. Today marks the beginning of Track Club at the boy's school. The club, which was started by Coach C., encourages kids to get to school early so that they can run laps. My boy loves it.

The child was so excited that he sprung from his bed, scarfed down his breakfast, showered and dressed without a single complaint. It was miraculous. The only downside, other than my inability to stop yawning, has been the way the dog has responded.

Every morning, as soon as Brick hears the boy get out of the shower, he runs to the back door to wait for our neighbor. I have driven Z. to school almost every morning for the past three years. Her mom happily picks up.

The beast has been laying next to the back door for the past ninety minutes. He can't seem to figure out what has happened to his friend. With every movement of a tree branch or scamper of a squirrel, the dog lifts his head in anticipation. When Z. doesn't appear, he sighs and lays his head on his paws.

I think he misses his girl.

One benefit to being up so early is that I was already awake when the tree manglers came down our street at 6:30. Who, you might ask, are the tree manglers? Please allow me to explain.

The manglers are a group of men that work for our local power company. Their goal is to keep the twenty feet surrounding the power lines free from all vegetation. According to their website...

"When trees grow into or near power lines, they can cause power interruptions and safety concerns to you and your neighbors. (We) depend on a stringent trimming cycle to keep power lines free of tree growth. Trimming the entire power line on a regular basis instead of individual locations ensures an economical approach to maintaining the integrity of the power line. (Our) sensible approach to trimming trees means having a thorough maintenance plan - a plan that improves the safety and reliability of electric service provided to you, our member."

While this all sounds good in theory, their execution leaves something to be desired. The company utilizes something called the "lateral pruning method." In my estimation, this can be simply translated to read "we like to saw trees in half vertically." The result is nothing short of horrific.

Imagine entire streets lined with trees that have been literally cut in half. Or worse yet, sprawling oak, walnut and maple trees that have been reduced to a series of leafless limbs protruding from a trunk that now resembles a pole. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

As you know, I grew up in Colorado, where there is an abundance of snow. Every few years, my parents would have the tree trimmers come and carefully prune our trees to prevent any damage from a heavy snow. The end result is nothing like the atrocities that occur in my usually charming town.

According to the companies Environmental Systems Supervisor, "While it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing pruning methodology, it is the best for the tree and for the utility right-of-way maintenance." That's the understatement of the century.

Thankfully, the giant trees here at the Ha house have escaped the manglers' saw thus far. My boy has threatened to chain himself to his beloved trees if he sees one of the workers even glance in their direction. It appears that I may have a budding environmentalist on my hands.