A Friend in the Drop Zone

Those tree trimming trucks - have you seen them around lately? 

Tree trimmers and I have a history. 

I think they might have 'marked' my house like the hobos did back in hobo days.

Crazy Woman Protecting Trees - maybe a female stick figure hugging a stick tree?

Yes, that would be me.

So when I saw the trucks nearing our house, I began to make plans. I lost sleep that very night, trying to think of the best way to convince a large group of Spanish-speaking men to not mutilate the row of pine trees that stand between our property and the road. How to get them to pass us by???

This same thing happened a few years ago, too - same scenario, same trees, same non-English speaking trimmers. I'm sure I looked insane out there making hand signals suggesting (begging) that they trim only a tiny bit, and begging that they not top the trees out.  They just listened, smirking, and laughing with one another. 

And yes, they topped every tree.

So I didn't have much hope that I'd be successful in convincing these tree butchers trimmers to pass us by this time. I'd seen their work further down the road and it was looking very bad. 

They seemed fond of scooping. 

Big scoops.

But I found a friend! 

This tree trimmer (above) was able to understand me, and even seemed a little sympathetic. Lots of hooting and chatter started when I went out to the 'drop zone' to make my case for only trimming the teensiest bit. He said they would be cutting the trees IN HALF. Maybe he became sympathetic when I started to sob, I'm not sure. I went back to my porch to watch, and then ... he went to bat for me! The guy in the bucket yelled especially loudly, but my  new friend stood firm. He called me back and told me they would angle-cut the trees away from the lines, only as much as ten feet. 

He seemed embarrassed when I clutched his arm and jumped for joy. 

Cup guy looked disgusted. 

My Hubs said they'd certainly get them the next time around.