Trees and Fences.....and Frustration~Frustration......

Facebook Post May 7th (Hunter) Despite it being smashed, dilapidated, and nearly destroyed, the chickens still use the tool shed as a roost. Stupid, brave birds...

On Wednesday the 8th, I began the day with optimism but as it wore on, frustration began to wear on me.  Phones, door knocks, text messages, scared animals that wouldn't leave my side and barked at the slightest noise and all the things that I saw that needed to be done to hold Nikki's wedding here....I was beginning to think we had undertaken the impossible.

Most frustrating were the fences at this point.  Three of the four gates were damaged. Basically two of the four sides of the fencing were destroyed with huge trees or limbs from trees lying on them.  Our chickens had no safe place to sleep and the dogs could escape the fenced yard at any point they so desired.

Front Gate wouldn't close because one of the posts was broken

Side gate under the collapsed barn

From the front, you couldn't even see the fence; its under those limbs from the topped tree house tree.  Also under those limbs were our beautiful 50 year old azaleas.  

Closeup view from inside the fence line

Backing up a bit, this was the top of the tree house tree.

Walking under the 11 remaining pecan trees and the two cypress trees was nerve wrecking.  Every one of them had "hangers" that could come down at any minute.  And every evening Hunter and I would have to go out and do more cleanup left behind by whatever contractor had been by that day.  (The roof inspector for the house pushed a huge tree limb off and broke a pot that had been placed for the wedding...the damage didn't seem to stop.)

If you click on this to enlarge it, you'll see a "hanger" that fell on Tuesday

Each time I left the property and returned, coming around the corner to the back of the property I was faced with the reality of what we still had ahead of us.  I held back tears as I looked at the destroyed barn and the destroyed Holly Tree that had been a feeding place for hundreds of bees this time of year,  knowing that part of the charm of our home was gone forever.

The Barn.  Photograph by John Binkley 2008

Then I'd walk the property to see if it had been looted while I was away although how I would really be able to tell if it had been was beyond me because it was all such a mess!

By 5:00, I still hadn't seen the Tree Guy that was supposed to come by.  I was tired of waiting.  I texted David and said I was going to call the two guys who had left me their card the day before.  They were done with work for the day when I called their number and explained our situation.  One of their wives took a message and told me she'd let the guys know we had the wedding in 10 days; headed to town to buy materials for another job, they turned around and made a beeline to our house arriving shortly before 6 p.m.....

Just after hanging up the phone, the Tree Guy showed up.  As he walked up to my gate I said, 

"Let's not waste each other's time.  I have a wedding here on the 18th.  Can you get this job done by then?"

He said "No."  

I said, "Thank you anyway."

While he was giving our Farmer's son his estimate, my two Lads pulled up and walked the property with me.  Before the other Tree Guy had finished with our Farmer's son, my two guys had their chain saws out and were taking the trees off the front and side fences and were up in the tree getting rid of the most dangerous of the "hangers".   Before they left and within an hour, they had the front fence cleared and temporarily propped back up.

We placed ladders where the fence was down to at least slow down the dogs.  Luckily, they didn't want to leave our sides when we'd go out with them.  They were in as much shock as the rest of us.

They'd be back on Friday morning. And Saturday morning. And Sunday morning.  They would finally finish up repairing our trees the following Wednesday night (May 14th). They would repair the fences for us and also mow and rake and edge for us to help us get it all done for the wedding.

God Bless Them!

Progress.

9 days until the Wedding.