Starlit/Whistle/Thistle

A deep blue starlit sky replaces the fading orange of the evening twi-light.A breeze blows through the field of thistle and uncut grass like the silent whistle of a muted harpy.The wind ruffles Oscar's feathers,but the raven remains silent.

Brave/Rusted/Ear

"One does not need to be brave to hear that the rusted gate needs oil;only an open ear,"quotes Oscar.

Wheat/Barren/Elegant/Gloves

The vision ends.Loyal is sitting under the oak tree,with the raven,Oscar,preaching above him.Oscar crows,"All of the elegant gloves in the world can not harvest wheat from the barren ground."

The sun is just set;the partly cloudy sky is glowing a radiant orange.Loyal glances up at Oscar and then picking up a small stone,he tosses it,"I am not a fool,Oscar.I know the moral of this Al-Yeshua lesson."

"But my job is to make sure you see the connections,"caws Oscar.

Gold/Manifest/Pure

In the fading memories of the dying Blade none can manifest the pure gold of precious memory as those of when he was a young pup.His life was at it's most comfortable and loving back then.It was only when he got separated from his human family and got lost in the woods forever that he had took control of his own destiny.But in his dying moments,it is that young pup that he truly envies.

Crave/Icicle/Abundant

Icicle,or Ice,as his pre-teenage female human calls him(so called because the young puppy loves putting his cold nose against her legs),loves his mother,Millie.He is the only pup the humans have kept.He is at the awkward age where he his wearing out his mother's abundant love.Where she used to crave his attention,now,she wearies of it,and her love wavers.Icicle sees this as wisdom on her part,and admires her more for it.

Give/Homeless/Panic

Millie can never be like Spirit,though she wants to be.She can not even acknowledge the thought of running away free like him.It would only give her panic attacks of being kicked out and of being left homeless.Yet,she admires him to death for his wiliness to bare the chain for the other moments of pure freedom.

Exit/Belief

Spirit admires Dealer.It is Spirit's belief that Dealer has the best of both worlds....and freedom.He is never chained up after being gone for days on end.It hurts Spirit to see Dealer exit out of the back of the yard while he can only tug at the end of his chain,and dream to be going with him.

Dealer/Whisp

Compared to Darkeye,Dealer is just a whisp of a pup.Smaller by half then Darkeye,Dealer has earned his name.He is crafty in the ways of both man and wild.But he has always wished he was more like his idol,Darkeye.Darkeye is a beast of passion-he took on King for crying out loud...and losing only made him wilder.Smarts were one thing...but to Dealer,the qualities of instinct and passion were so much more,and he lacked both.

Alternate/Fluent/Reverse

Darkeye's fluent movements in the woods,or on the hunt,were just the reverse of his clumsiness around Greytail.It was like he was some alternate universe Darkeye when he was around her.He knew it was foolish of him to try to mate with her:especially with her being pregnant with King's pups,but he could not help himself.Even with the anguish of being banned from the pack..and forced to hunt with human strays,or worse,alone,he knew he would not be able stop himself from doing it again.

Ornament/Clay

Greytail knows she is no mere ornament to the mighty King.After all she does carry his pups inside of her.And has he banished Darkeye for trying to mate with her.She digs in the cool clay and lays herself down.Oh,how she admires King.

Crystal/Blade

An orange beam of light goes straight up off the raising sun as Oscar caws 'The Tale Of The Tail':"King looks over at Blade.It is crystal clear to him though Blade is now very long of tooth,and his very days are numbered,that he-the mighty King-still envies him.

Blade had ruled the pack a long many years.King knows he should have killed him,but Blade still has wisdom that the young ruler can use.Blade is wounded and tired.King wishes,nay,hopes,he can last as long and lead as well as Blade has done.

Tail/Tale

Somewhat later Loyal is emerged in his think bath.He is sitting under an oak tree on a warm summer morning at mid-twilight.In a branch slightly above him is his muse,a talking raven named Oscar,"What you are seeking,"crows Oscar,"Is not a linear history lesson,but more of a ancient story...a parable,if you will,we call this story,'The Tale of The Tail'.......... ".

Steep

"Father,Tipid is correct.No on loved Theophilus more then me...and...even though we have no idea who the VI are,should we just automatically keep going back again and again?"

"Your words of caution show your fear LMDC.Not only will I steep myself in a think bath,but I will acknowledge the books as well before we proceed,"Then putting his forehead to Timber's,"I feel you have bought us,at least,that much time."

Gravity

The gravity of the situation was not lost on Tipid,"We must not be rash in our decisions,Brave Loyal.This tragedy maybe the catalyst that leads to a lasting peace,or treaty of understanding."

Basket

Loyal and LMDC look at each other.Who or what were The VI?

Suddenly,Timber arches up,hands spread out,and shouts,"Theophilus!Theophilus!'She clutches hold of Loyal and LMDC,"They,they gave me Theophilus' head in a basket."

Things were amiss.Theophilus was a pilot.You could not take him unawares.Right then and there,Loyal knows that he will find the answers-loop or no loop-even if he has to go to Hell and back to find them.

Twirl

"Your head is going to twirl around with ideas and thoughts for an hour or so,"begins Loyal,"And it maybe days before your memory fully recovers...But,my dear Timber,are you coherent enough to tell us what happened aboard The Maid?"

"There were VI aboard,"She tilts her head as if having an earache,"But it is funny..I don't remember what VI are."

Seperate

They lead Timber to a ground chair and have her sit.They put their foreheads together with her's.LMDC covers her with a comfort cloth,"I never had to do that before,"Timber says,rolling her head,"I am having a hard time keeping time seperate.There are two of LMDC weaving in and out.And...it's so confusing."

Combination

Loyal looks to LMDC,"The combination of having her atoms dispersed throughout the voice transmission is vastly different then walking through the doors.It is far more unsettling.She will have very limited memory of the past 48 hours.Now,knowing that,let's go welcome her."

Mantra

Loyal helps LMDC to her feet and then they head to the room of transport.Suddenly,near the door,off to the side on a pad,there comes a mantra like hum,"Em,em,em,em,em,em,em,em,em,em,em."Wind wisps in a circular fashion becoming a tornado type whirlwind which instantly dissipates into the bulking form of the beautiful naked Timber.

Heal

"But why did she not just come through the door?"LMDC asks in desperate panic.

"The Maid blew up[a loud gasp from LMDC].Tipid says there is enough data to save her."

"The others...."

"It depends on how current their transmissions are.We will replicate them as best we can-if that was their will-but we have more important matters.I feel this time line is injured as well..."

...'And time heals all wounds,"mutters LMDC,"I understand."

Hover

"AAAaaaaH!"LMDC wakes with a start.She is having trouble catching her breath,panic striken,"Mother!?!Mother?!!"

Loyal rushes to her side.The Akron rumbles like it is being hit by an ocean wave and then settles down.She looks into Loyal's eyes,"Father,what has just happened?"

A duel image of LMDC seems to hover behind her.Fire seems to to shot out of this transparent double's hands:AT HIM.Loyal puts is forehead to hers,"Quiet,daugher,"and then he whispers to her,"Be brave,your mother is being brought abroad via voice signal."

Cadillac

"No!"yells Loyal,pounding the window."No!"

"The explosion,"states Tipid calmly,"Was caused by a core breach to the cadillac converter.It appears that Timber knew this.She transported her owners code via the voice signal...That caused the voice glitch that we heard.We can retrieve her."

Maid

As Loyal thinks these thoughts,he watches as the reflecting starlight illuminates the faraway starship.It is 'The Maid of Zarlingo'.It is Timber's ship,named after the nameless maid from the planet Zarlingo that hid Al -Yeshua in the hold of the escaping Macon.

Every youngling knows the story:"She is nameless,because she is every woman."

Tipid speaks,"There is an incoming message from 'The Maid'..."My Kindred,I had a dream which speaks to the holy trio.You must[unintelligible] go back and fix...."

Loyal smiles at Timber's voice.He is still smiling when the glow of 'The Maid' intensives and brightens and expands in the darkness of space.

Stream

Loyal knows that Timber will be very interested in their adventure into The Time Stream...and more then likely-now more then ever-want to meddle.He sighs.He knows instictively that that is the wrong thing to do.

Rocky

Timber is coming back from her negotiations with the Hellions.Hell is one of the 'Three Planets'...Earth and Heaven being the other two....that are 'Untouchable'.

The negotiations had gotten off to a rocky start right from the beginning.If Timber could not have regrown her limbs,she would be handless,now...and that Satan breeder and his horde would still be around to gloat.

Clasp

Timber is aboard this Starship.They are both Children of Keturah.He is a son.She is a daughter.He embraces their time of reflection.Naked,they will clasp their hands together,and raise them in worship as they touch foreheads,noses,lips,on down.Giving praise to Al-Yeshua always means more with her.

Surge

As Loyal almost unthinkingly watches the far away starship,a surge of anxiety floods through his being.Destiny is a fickle ally,he thinks,yet...here it is.

Deeper

"We can go deeper,"states Tipid,"I believe she can handle it."

"Yes,but should we?Is it worth putting her through the trouble?We could just end up making matters worst."

"If you are afraid for her,THEY had a machine....Perhaps...if we go back,I can tap into myself,and learn how to construct one."

Loyal hesitates..."I am afraid of THIS machine on many levels." Out of the window Loyal sees a distant star that appears to be moving-the telltale sign of an incoming starship..."I am afraid we will create a LOOP."

Kettle

Loyal,has the right to worry.Have they not just settled the Kettle Rebellion?Weren't there still raiders on the outskirts?Wasn't bureaucracy slowly destroying the Holy Empire from within?Yet,his inner self doubts he would have allowed such meddling unless there were something deeper-more drastic....but then that was the crutch wasn't it.He wasn't in charge there-they had had a King.

Flame

Like a flame suddenly put out,LMDC,Tipid and Loyal are back aboard The Akron,"She is asleep,"states Tipid as she raises her hands off the teenage girl and Loyal.

Loyal goes over to his daughter and puts his forehead against hers,"Sleep well,my French and Spanish daughter.We are Kindred,"He raises and turns to Tipid,"We caused this.How?"

I sensed machines.Something we are incapable of."

Loyal puts his hands behind his back and looks out the window,"We must have been desperate....I wonder...did we make things better or worse?"

Outback

The holy trinity watch the ancients as they talk,"Nik is going out on a date tonight with a poet named Alice."

"Really...Good for you,Nik.Where are you taking her?"

"Oh,"said Nik,biting into his sandwich,"I don't know,either Applebee's or the Outback Steakhouse."

Suddenly,between The woman and the elder man,a reflection-like that of something in the water-appears bridging the gap between them,"Oooh,"sighs LMDC weakly,her eyes widening,her knees buckling.

Loyal and Tipid both see what she sees.They both gasp.It is Tipid between the male and female.

Disparate

The older tree worker kisses the pretty woman and thanks her for bringing the food.

"This moment causes a disparate rift in time,"Loyal states holding his hands out like he is trapped inside of an invisible box,"We...."he pauses as if trying to hear a faint noise..."We..we had a King and Queen."

Sliver

Loyal,outstretching his arms,holds them back,each,still in the time stream up to their ankles.They watch as the two tree harvesters march back to their truck.Loyal sees a gleam.A shimmer.A sliver of fault in the time around them.

"Sssh,"he says,"This is where it happens.A car pulls up behind the truck.An attractive woman steps out carrying a paper bag of quickly purchased food.She throws a silver bundle to each man,"Here,"she says,"I thought you two might be hungry.A Whopper OK?"

Anti/Wade

LMDC,Tipid and Loyal are in a phase induced by LMDC's gifts called ,'The Time Stream'.It is like the anti-now.They can not be seen or felt(for the most part-by most people).To traverse the stream you have to float or swim like a fish through it.But when you get close to your target(for that is what it is- a target),it is like getting closer and closer to shore and you have to brace yourself as you wade yourself through it.

Auntie

As seemingly spirits,they move closer as the man finishes sawing the stump.Walking towards the truck with a younger man,they listen as he speaks on the way to the vehicle,"Hello,"says the older man,"Auntie Em,Auntie Em,I don't think we are in Kansas anymore."

"Screw you,man.I know.I know."

"They are speaking English,"exclaims Tipid,"But I have no idea what they are saying."

Sinner

Loyal moves the holy trio not so much as forward as towards.Not so much as much to sinner as to the 'wronger',"There,"he says,"The one removing the stump of the tree.It is him."

Saint

The time spiral starts reversing itself,now,it is going forward in history.The Saint Louis Cardinals have just defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series when Loyal says,"This is it.Go back to the spring.Further east.

Differ

LMDC,Tipid,and Loyal are a holy trinity of timeline exploration.LMDC's natural abilities are channeled and shared via Tipid.And no one is as capable of reading timeline fluctuations as Loyal.It is more then being just fluent in history.Loyal can automatically tell-in ways he himself does not understand-how singularities can differ if,when and where they occur.

Catastrophe

Now wavers.The Third Kingdom goes flashing by.So does the Spice Revolt,The Second Kingdom.The death and birth of Al-Yeshua.The Spreading,The Nuking of The '3'[Mecca/The Vatican & The Great Church];The Swarm Catastrophe,The Friendship Wars,The Grafting,The Expounding To Colonize,The Second American Civil War;The Elvis,The founding of Rockenrol{Things are getting tighter,now},The San San Earthquake,WWIII,The Iraqi-Hurricane Katrina-War,Bosnia,The Persian Gulf War.. the swirl stops...and starts moving forward...

Melt

Tipid places an open palm against LMDC's face and then grasps hands with Loyal,"We are Kindred,"she says,"We are Kindred,"chant both LMDC and Loyal back to the shadow woman.
"Let go of the now.There is no future.There is no past.All are one.Melt away the concept of time.Melt away the concept of self.You are 'I AM'.

French

The chamber's door opens and Loyal walks in.Though he has a smile on his face,his eyes are showing deep concern,"French and Spanish,girl,"Loyal says,hugging her,"Are you OK?"

LMDC shakes her head,yes,nervously.

"This could be rough.Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Yes,father,please,I have too."

"OK.Tipid,do what has to be done.Lumber,do not let us be disturbed."

Reticent

"Are you afraid of what you might find,Tipid?Is that why you are willing to wait for my father?"
"Unlike dimensional shifts,time shifts can be very reticent.Your father is very good at...how do you say it...reading between the lines."

Ritual

"Loyal is still at the Al-Yeshua ritual,"proclaimed Lumber in her usual foreboding tone,"But I have asterisked and highlighted his link and he will be here shortly."
"Will you read me,Tipid?"
"I am sure your father will want me to,but I will not do so until I am told.You are the 'Time Sensitive'.There is danger in going too deep.I will need your father to ride with me."
"OK."

Anger

I:::
"I feel anger radiating from you,LMDC,are you OK?"
"Yes,Tipid,I....suddenly...just felt light headed...for a second."
"Can you say what caused it?"asks Lumber,concerned.
LMDC sits down in the ground chair,"Time may have changed.Please call my Father."

Kindred

"So,then,do we go to SR-090?"
"Look around;Sheba is dead,Loyal is dying,we are betrayed,about to be re-boarded,and Am's fleet is gone....Tipid.Can you make the SL-D2 work?"
*There is an explosion that rocks the ship.*
"Yes-there is an 89% assurance that I can succeed."
"Then get lost."
"We are Kindred."
"Yes,we are Kindred,rockenrol."
"Rockenrol,"and with that,Tipid vanishes.

Sticky

"He did not die,"answers Tipid,"Nor,in fact,even get hurt.But he is not,I believe,still with Katrina."
Etiti sooths his hands over Loyal,"What does that mean?Is he the one or not?"
Lumber,who is encasing LMDC,states,"He is in SL-D2.There could only be the other in SR-090."
"It is,"whispers Loyal in a painful moan,"Another sticky wicket that we have gotten ourselves into."

Finally

"She is 'VI',"Tipid says lifting her hand from LMDC's body,"And the Queen 'is' dead.I do not believe she killed her,though her 'E-M Log' does not go back far enough to confirm this."
Etiti looks around.They have withstood the breach...actually,LMDC's errant shot had destroyed the receiver,"Well,I guess Loyal finally found his spy.Damn her."
He sighs,"Tipid,mission accomplished?"

Retribution

You fire at your father and he goes up in flames.You feel strong arms across your chest.You feel and hear your own ribs crack.Your heat is strickly internal.You are losing consciousness,but you are glad.You got your retribution.

Supercilious

You do not hide your supercilious feelings as you see Etiti.Actual flames erupt in your eyes.With both arms you fire at him:and miss.Both vapourize demons on either side of him.
You curse your luck and get ready to aim again when Loyal shouts to you,"You are supposed to be protecting the Queen.Why are you not at your post?"
"The Queen is dead," you sneer,"And so are you."

Soup

{ I know you-but until this moment,I did not know that you were VI* }You place your hand on the screen.'The Door' opens.You walk through the soup,not caring if there are any reptiles in it.You enter The Akron.My back is towards you.You walk right by.







*pronounced:Vee-Eye

Insanity

You are in no hurry to walk through 'The Door' over to the insanity on The Akron,but Etiti is over there(probably fighting toe to toe with Loyal-you don't want to see him either...but for different reasons).You know you will probably die there,but you will live long enough to see it on their faces.They will know that it was you that brought down the mighty AM.

Exhilarating

...Meanwhile,high above the Earth-3,000 years into the future....You lookout through the window of the flagship,'FEM-Greystroke'.It is an exhilarating sight.Satan ships are everywhere.AM's fleet is destroyed.The mothership,'The Macon III ' lay still,and'The Akron' is about to be boarded.

You look inward.Queen Sheba lay dead,some sort of metal rod going through her Cheater helmet.And AM,the mighty AM,is about to loose even more.You will see to that.

Malleable

On most things a 'C' man's mind was malleable and easily sculpted to a journeyman's will.Quitting time was one of the more bendable times."

"We're done,"I said.I got no argument from Nik.

Corkscrew

I finished the stump and kicked the log off it's base.Here and there there were twigs and sticks stuck into the ground.But this wasn't a corkscrew willow-they wouldn't grow,and we didn't have to clean them up.This silver maple was history

Underwater

Underwater,the deeper you go,the more force-or pressure-you have pushing against you.In a sideways sort of way,it is the same cutting through a stump.As the blade cuts wood,there is more force exerted against the saw blade.In other words,the emptiness left behind by the cutting action is replaced by the now displaced weight of the stump.
A good way to counter act this is by using little bits and pieces of the bark,and placing them as supports where the blade has left no support.

Effulgent

The sharpened blade was kicking out a stream of sawdust that seemed to gleam like an effulgent spray of a thousand jewels in the bellowing sunlight.Not to many people recognized this joy.Fewer still,knew that they even saw it.

Odyssey

The odyssey from living tree to firewood was almost complete for this silver maple.I roared the engine,put the base of the saw against the stump and followed it's tip-sawdust a blazin'-around the tree.

Solitary

I carefully cleaned the area around the stump.I then searched for it's highest point of contact against the ground.The solitary reason for doing this was because that would be where I started cutting.If I started anywhere else,I was guaranteed to hit dirt.

Academic

I decided to let Nik take a break and I sharpened,gassed and oiled the saw.The question on whether I could remove this massive f-up of a nasty stump was purely academic .The real question was how low I could get it.

Care

With little fanfare or care,Nikolas cut through the rest of the trunk.All that was left was the stump.

Autumn

"Well,let's go,then,man,"I said to Nik,looking at my watch,"We started this tree in spring.Let's not drag it out all the way past autumn."

Tea

I moved the wedge a little in one direction and pounded against it.This unpinched the tree trunk just enough for the (luckily undamaged)saw to pop free.
Nikolas smiled in awe and amazement,"Man,you know your stuff.Thank you."
"Yes,I do,"I replied,"And did you know that the root of the sassafras tree makes a lovely tea."

Anonymous

"Sorry,man,"Nikolas said to me,"I didn't think that would happen."
"Don't worry about it,Nik,"I replied,"Just remember the words of the great prophet,'Anonymous'whom said,"Shit happens."

Oracle

Nik,not thinking I was funny,let the stuck saw drop from his hands.
"I,the oracle of all things chainsaw,know that you must simply place a wedge,here,and then you smack it with a mallet,here."
*Thunk*
"or perhaps I need to place it here."
*Thunk*,again.
"OK,"I said,"This might take just a tad more work."

Despair

"Shit!"Nikolas said,struggling to get the chain saw out.
"Do not despair,my young padawan,"I said,smiling,"For I have sledge and wedge."

Novel

A novel approach to releasing a chainsaw pinched on top of a trunk is to jump up on the tree and bounce your weight up and down.This sometimes relieves the pressure put upon it.There was no such trick when it was pinched on the bottom.

Elegant

There is no particularly elegant way of getting a stuck twenty inch chainsaw loose when it is massively jammed under two large sections of silver maple trunk.Mostly you just hope and pray that the chain or bar isn't bent.

Akimbo

I stood akimbo,sans cape,like Superman,shaking my head in false disgust,"Now.you've done,"I spoke,half in jest,"Let me get the sledge and wedge."

Transcendentalism

Tree Trimmers,by rote,are practitioners of realistic-transcendentalism:Your saw will always run out of gas just before you finish your last cut.The supervisor will always come out when you are fucking off.Your rope will always get caught on the interfering limb you decided not to cut out,and a newbie will always get is his chain saw pinched:"Shit," yelled Nikolas.

Juxtapose

Some guys cut off one piece of the trunk at a time.Of course you could cut half way through almost any piece,and then just juxtapose your final cut all the way throughout the fallen tree as well.

Elevate

I fought with the knot long and hard.I only managed to free it just as Nik was coming back sharpened,gassed and oiled.Cutting a big truck up could be tricky.If you could elevate a section off the ground(or if one was already elevated),you started with that,cutting top to bottom(well,maybe a small undercut.first).If both ends were touching the ground,you always cut from bottom-up.

Waystation

If we were at the waystation-gabbing it up-many a story would be told about fallen trees and terrible stumps.About pinched saws and tripping over the branches.While it was mostly,blah,blah,blah,blah,blah(the same old stories over and over again),you could learn new things.One of the oldest stories was about the pull knot that would not untie..yep,this was one of them.

Green

The owner wanted the trunk cut up into firewood,and the branches cut so that they could be stacked on a bonfire.Green wood needed to be dried in order to burn well,but once seasoned,he would have a bunch of nice wood for the fireplace.

Odious/Ethereal

"Odious,man,"Nikolas stated as he looked down at the remaining stump.It had a giant crevice running through the middle of it.Dirt,rock filled most of it.Suddenly,I wondered the ethereal difference:was it luck or skill that got the tree down safely?Well,my consolation was that it is said that a good team makes their own luck.

Decadent

"Good job,man,"I said,touching fists with Nik,"All we have to do,now,is cut this shit up,and you can go home to get ready for your date with Alice."
"Man that felt soo good,it was almost decadent-I slammed the bitch,"Nik said with excitement,"Man,what a rush!"
"Well,"I said,putting my hands up in quotation marks,"If you 'rush',we can get the hell out of here.....You need to sharpen the saw,first."

VITREOUS MOM

In the end,I did little pulling.It went where we wanted it to go on it's own.It slammed to the ground.I flipped the rope(more out of instinct then anything else),then braced myself as the inevitable gush of wind slapped against me.
"Fuckin' 'Vitreous,Mom!"Yelled Nik reggae style-excited about what he had just done.It was just another nonsense mispronounced word or phrase that had somehow caught on into our work vocabulary....Like,'Skovie';'Yella handed stewed dhwyvva' and of course,'No Gondo'.

And

*Crraccck!!!*And it fell.

Cascade

Most newbies didn't know how strong they could be.Until you've had the cascade of fear,injury or actually death flowing through your veins,you couldn't know....And there lie their weakness.

Crescendo

The chainsaw,as it cut through the wood,was building up to it's crescendo in both noise and power.I could feel the tree tilt.I pulled the rope tight-tight with tremendous strength.The rope was so taut,a tightrope walker could walk up it.Slack off,now,Nik.Slack off.

Bower

So,you could say that Nikolas,basically became the rudder,while I,at the end of my rope,basically became the bower.But it was not just my weight that made me the anchor at the end of the ship's bow...it was how I was going to use it.

Economy

I heard Nikolas re-starting the chainsaw as I walked towards the end of the pull rope.Gloves were a must.Helping the economy did not include me paying the hospital to patch up my fingers.

Magick

I quickly looked over the teeth of the saw.While not as sharp as I would have liked,the dullness would actually slow the cutting down enough that I would not have to worry about Nik hammering at it too hard.What some people called life experience,I called the magick of fucking up religiously.

Quixotic

I had no Quixotic aspirations.I didn't chase windmills...they chased me.I had no intentions on being the hero here.The secret was not in the cut-any idiot paying half attention could do it-it was in the pull,"This is your baby,Nik.Cut about a half inch above your bottom cut.And cut to the right:slowly.Leave the left alone.When you feel it start to go:stop cutting,and get the hell out of Dodge."

Mourning

I never was one for mourning the death of trees.Death was a part of life.Trees were a renewable resource.And I had seen a bulldozer destroy an acre of trees in the time it took me to take down half of one.

Vacation

I covered my mouth with my hand and rubbed it around,"This ain't gonna be no vacation,Bub,"I said,channeling Jake.I was thinking,if it fell left it would wipe out a fence and a swimming pool.If it fell to the right(Most likely),it would wipe out a shed and maybe the side of the house.

Tuesday

Nik turned off the chainsaw and threw his earmuffs down,"It was cutting like a raped ape,then suddenly it was dullar then a small town on a Tuesday night,"he said holding up the saw.I walked to the tree.The inside was hollow with a detritus of rocks,nuts and thick soil.The left side was thin and didn't look like it would hold.Shit!

Disingenuous

Most trees were kind,passive beings,but every once in awhile you would cross a disingenuous soul so dark that you would actually believe that the tree was fighting you as you tried to cut it off from it's very literal root.As Nik finished his top cut,the wedge popped out too easily...Utt Ooh..trouble.

Twilight

Some people liked the early morning twilight,others preferred the twilight of the setting sun.It's the same thing,but different.Some people started their notch with a top cut,others from the bottom.I was a top notch guy myself,but it didn't bother me at all that Nikolas started his from the bottom.

Barnacle

Another reason to have a sharpened chainsaw was because I've seen too many things inside of a tree trunk that could make them go duller then a small town on a Tuesday night.Ice,nails,fence wire,golf balls,an old pirate ship,complete with a barnacle or two.Hell,'my own' chain had even caught squirrel tails,bird feathers and a colony of ants soo thick that it looked like water pouring out from the stump.

Paisley

Nikolas lumbered to the tree.I motioned for him to take off his ear protection,"Hey,"I yelled,"Make sure it's a damn good cut,'cuz there ain't no mules in Paisley Park'(Damn,I loved Prince),and I ain't one either.My fat ass can only pull so much."

Original

The reason why you always wanted to start notching a tree with a freshly sharpened blade is that sometimes after a re-sharping the saw could not follow the course of the original cut.(i.e.the dull blade had cut crooked).This could leave you in a very dangerous situation.

Scarf

In the time it took Nik to finish sharpening the saw,I openned the truck door,reached into my McDonald's bag,and finished the other half of my Big Mac.I just as quickly drank down the rest of my now luke-warm Coca~Cola.I offered Nik the rest of my fries.I didn't stay around to watch him scarf them down.I simply took the sledge and wedge,put them by the edge of the tree and grabbed the pull rope.

Cloudy

As Nik started filing down the rakers,I looked up into the somewhat cloudy sky.I imagined I saw Ahab forever riding his white whale.I looked to Nik,and then back to Ahab.It seemed we all had our own leviathans to cling to.

Delivered

This was not the first anti-war soliloquy that Nik had delivered.I think his cousin's injury affected him more then he knew.

Cheesybread

"It's just cheesybread comments like that that make me think how bad war must really be,"Nik said,flipping the file around to the teeth on the other side of the blade.The file slipped and he took a slice out of his finger,"Ouch,"Nik said first shaking his finger then sucking on it ,"Seems like dumb shit to me."

Green

Nik parked the saw against the backwheel of the truck,and started laying the rat-tail file down on it's teeth,"It's funny,Dave listens to Green Day,Pearl Jam & Neil Young,thinks we're stupid for being over there,but still wants to go back."

Pretibial

"How the hell you ever start drinking that pirate concoction anyway,Nik?" "My cousin,Dave,"he said,"Lost half his leg in Iraq.They gave him this fake leg.He calls it his 'Pretibial Peg Leg Ass Kicker'.We'd sit around his camp fire on his back patio and drink 'um.Dave says they ain't real flips unless you stick a hot poker in 'um just before you drink 'em."

Grok

"Soooo,"I said,as we reached my pick up truck,"Are you going to be drinking any of your grok with Alice tonight?"Nik grabbed the files and turned to me,"First off,Drew,it's 'Grog',and it's a pussy's drink...just watered down rum.I drink 'Flips'...dark beer,rum and molasses.It's what real pirates drank.It's what I drink."A smile crept upon his face,"But yes,'WE' might be drinking some."

Vacuous

In tree work,you rise through the ranks by starting off as a 'ground man'(an empty headed vacuous lout).As you gain knowledge,you work your way through the alphabet from 'D'
man-all the way up to 'A'(a super duper tree man).On paper,an 'A' man should be able to do everything.But very few men ever reach every stage of 'A'-ness.In fact,you can be an 'A',in say,knot tying,but still a 'B' or 'C' in saw cutting.Few trimmers ever become an all out-flow blown 'A'man' in every aspect of their game.

Beautiful

The beautiful thing about Nikolas sharpening the saw was that he was so much better at it then I was.Though,he was still only a 'C' man,he had the knack for pulling the round file back across the teeth,and pushing the flat file down against the rakers.Definately 'A' man work.

Docile

"All gassed and oiled,Chief,"Nikolas said handing me the big chainsaw."Whoa,my Padawan learner,how sharp is she?"I asked,knowing full well the answer."I didn't hit anything with it,"he replied.I handed it back to him,"Well,then you notch and flop it,I'll pull the rope.""Uhm,Maybe I should sharpen it first,"He said,walking back to the truck."I smiled,it didn't pay to let them get too docile on you in the tree business

Stalwart

I reached for my pull rope,tied a running bow-line in it and yanked it to the top of the tree.The rope had been my stalwart companion;first,when it was new(it had been my first new climbing line),and now,that it had been my pull rope forever.

Detritus

I put the coiled rope between my legs,made a few quick wraps and finished by making a slip-knot and tightening it.I threw it by the large trunk that I had just fell.The center,while hallow,was not empty.It was filled with a detritus of rotting wood,dirt,and bugs.It crumbled in my gloved hand.Huh,it was like soil from twelve feet above ground.

Mollycoddle

I noticed that Nik had stopped working while I was coiling up my rope...probably thinking about this Alice girl.I didn't want Nik to think I would 'mollycoddle' to him just because I liked him,"Yoh,homey,are you going to read haikus all day or are you gonna get back to work?"He stuffed his letter back into his pant's pocket.

Haiku

"So,does this girl have a name?"I asked rappelling down to the ground."Uh,"Nik said pulling out a crumbled up piece of paper from his pocket,"It says,'SBS haiku':

'Osquer sits under

her own faery tree wishing

upon shooting stars'

No,wait,"he flipped the paper over,"It says her name is ,Alice."

Tofurky(Just for SBS)

"What?"I said,wiping the sweat from my brow,"Please,don't tell me that she eats tofurky,and voted for Dennis Kucinich?">"No,man,she's nothing like that.She likes Jethro Tull,and is into poetry.">"Dam tree huggers,"I said,smiling.

Vodka/Aquarius

The trunk came crashing to the ground harder then a Russian on too much vodka.It busted up a dead branch and sent a piece flying over Nikolas'head."Headache!"I yelled as it whizzed pass him."Hey!watch it,"He yelped,"I've got this blind date with this Aquarius tonight,and her horoscope says she's gonna get lucky."

Rainbow

Determinedly,I started to cut the rest of the bastard off with my speedsaw.The quick sliver movement of my blade made me think of the old 'Rainbow',tune,'The Man On The Sliver Mountain'.I half sang/half yelled it while I pounded my way through the rest of the massive log,<"I'm the day,I'm the day.I can show you the way.And look I'm right beside you.I'm the night,I'm the night.I'm the dark and the light.With eyes that see inside you.Come down with fire.Lift my spirit higher.Someone's screaming my name.Come and make me holy again.I'm the man on the sliver mountain">.***Crrrraaack***Bang!PoP! She busted free!And began her descent

Wrinkle

I don't mind telling you that that put a new wrinkle into my plan.Cursing,I let the chainsaw hang down by the end of it's rope.*Shink!*Looked like I was gonna have to do this the old fashioned way.

Damage

Nik knew enough not to get under me while I was cutting.Any damage I would cause to the lawn was o-k'ed before hand by the owner,so that was not a problem.I was down to the last big piece of trunk.I quickly put my notch into the front;then I started my backcut.*SPRIIING*!Damn it!Two thirds through,my chain decided to pop off.

Lasagna

Tree slang could be vulgar,yet accurate.I didn't make up the terms,I just used them.I started up my saw.It was cutting like a raped ape.I went at that tree like Garfield on a pan of lasagna.

Meanwhile

Meanwhile,I had positioned myself perfectly in the tree to start hammering it.The shit was gonna fly,now.

Hay

Nikolas wasn't one of those'farm 'boys who honed their work skills by throwing hay all day.He was a city boy.But you couldn't tell it.He took the twenty inch chainsaw and started hacking the branch up into manageable pieces.

Altered

I smiled.That the running bowline knot came free easily in no way altered the fact that I still considered the cloth hitch the better knot.

Unicorn

To keep things fresh,we,as tree trimmers,sometimes used topical subjects and injected some of their humour into our own conversations."Hey,"yelled Nikolas,"This bowline came out real easily-and,hey...I just saw a unicorn.""What?"I shouted back,"The bowline came out real easily?"

Flap

The resulting crash caused a brief rush of air strong enough to make Nikolas' hair to flap up in it's breeze."Yeeh Haa!"he shouted as he went to untie my knot.

Waived

Snapped free by the undercut,the bark waived it's right to hold on any side or rip or tear.Nikolas let it swing until it's apex,then let the rope go.The limb fell perfectly onto the desired open area.

pinned

Making an undercut served two purposes.Number one,it pretty much made sure that my speed saw would not get pinched or pinned in it's cut.But reason number two was the much better reason because-*snap*-it made the branch break off oh so much more nicely.

Platinum

I loved my speed saw.It's curved blade had humped through many a limb for me(someday I should platinum plate it and hang it on my wall:-).I made my undercut...

Favored

Some tree trimmers favored the 'speed' saw,others the chain saw.I used the appropriate tool for the appropriate situation.This limb called for the speed saw."Sh-ling!"-I pulled it from it's sheath.

Copy

The movement I made next was a carbon copy of every other time I tied a limb off using a bowline:pull the rope back to me with the pruner,untie the bowline and retie it into a running bowline,pull it tight;get ready to cut.

Interest

I jiggled my pruner pole out to the end of the limb.I dropped the bowline right down were I wanted it.Most guys didn't bother bringing along the pruner,but I figured that the time and energy that it saved made it worth it's weight in gold,plus interest.

Retreat to Sanity

I don't know,maybe it was joy,maybe it was just to keep my sanity,but I loved to sing in the trees.I started in on 'The Boss',<"No retreat baby....No surrender.">

Unto A Captive Audience

But that was just caution talking unto my carefree nature.And my carefree nature was a captive audience.Just because I was in a groove did not mean I should be running on auto-pilot.Pay attention-I always say-do it right.

Horizon

I smiled as I tied a small bowline and hooked it's knot over my pruner head.This was as close to the mythical Shangri-La-the perfect city from the novel,'Lost Horizon',as I would ever get{and it scared me-it felt just like the other shoe was going to drop}.

Sands

I chunked off a small branch,and tossed it.The proper thing to yell in such cases is,"Headache!",But I had just watched 'The Sands of Iwo Jima',starring John Wayne as Sgt.Stryker,so I copied him,and yelled,"Grenade!Hit the deck." Nik looked up,and scrambled to safety.

Content

In a man's world ,we were both perfectly content to'look the other way'.In fact,over beers,later on we would probably both laugh at our mutual folly.

Withheld

I withheld from Nik the fact that I stupidly left my pruner pole way up in the top of the tree....Just like he had withheld from me that he didn't bring back the big saw the start cutting the fallen log.I started climbing/spurring back up to save us both face.

Chess

By wiggled the rope,Nikolas signaling to me that it was free.Sometimes,tree work was like a good game of chess:move-counter move:plan 'A'turns into plan 'B'.Beware of the 'X'-factor.It was what made tree trimming dangerous,yet,fun.

Adapt

Nik untied my cloth hitch.Some trimmers ran the running bowline,but it got so tight it was hard to untie.I always told Nik that he could learn from everyone.Adapt what worked for him,and throw away the rest.

Melt

The half-wrap is what saved the day.I've seen Chris Miller run some big pieces so fast that the nylon rope would be smoking as he ran it.Parts of the rope would actually melt!A cool trick except for the wear and tear and the shit he would rip up.

Opaque

As Nik slowly started lowering the giant limb he hollered up to me,"If you'll excuse this opaque reference,'Holy shit,batman-Damn!'"

Relief

To Nik's relief,my first cut went according to plan(actually,to my relief as well).While the the tree was still shaking,I told him to start letting the monster piece down.

Grounds

...I pull my chain saw out and begin my back cut,"Hold it!" I yell as I hammer it.*PoP*!The large trunk snaps free!It swings!It falls!Falls!#Ss-th-ink#!It grounds to a halt!Moments from my feet!"Perfect!"I scream,"Perfect!"

Fliter

When it comes to tree trimmers-the size of one's gonads is the best way to filter the the wheat from the shaft:the best from the rest.I don't consider myself one of the best,but I do use their bold moves.I start my undercut...

Alarm

I told Nik to grab hold of the pull rope and take a half wrap around a smaller tree.He saw how high up I had tied off and looked at me with alarm.I repelled down to the bottom of the limb,and fired up my tree saw,"Don't worry,"I grinned,"She'll go.Just hold on to her."

Sage

I*sighed*.While I did not consider myself to be an old sage,I definitely thought of myself as an'old school' thinker.Within the past decade,tree equipment technology had advanced leaps and bounds.I had tried most of it,and,it was easier...yet,I just felt more comfortable and at home with my older stuff.

Moonlight

Another song written by Nik on'The Cranberry Toes' playlist was a tune called ,'Wear wolf'.<"She only shopped by moonlight/in the hottness of the day/hunting for a bargin/keeping the hunger at bay/Aaah Ooooh she is the wear wolf/aaah Oooo look how much I saved/shopping like a corperate raider/forgetting the lay-a-way/bought the blouse at half price/look how little I paid/Aah Oooh aaaa aaah aaaH chew!">I was only half aware that I was tying a limb to be off roped.

Astonish

I quickly learned how Nik could really astonish me with his wit and wisdom.He created a song about Vic Morrow called, 'Vic Doesn't Wear Hats Now' that just blew me away.It went,"Vic doesn't wear hats now/He just doesn't use 'em/Vic doesn't wear hats now/He just doesn't need 'em/Vic,[there's no to] Morrow/Vic[There's no to]Morrow!'.I loved it,and now found myself singing it up in the trees.

Frugal

Nik was both the(left handed) bassist for his band and the lead singer,but he was not the main writer for the group.He wanted to change that.I encouraged him to let his mind become more open to the poetry already contained within his brain.Very quickly Nikolas became less and less frugal with his lyrics and form,and was singing his new material to me all the time.

Toes, Cranberry, Keys, Wedding, Smile, Letter Opener

I had to smile.Nikolas was in a punk rock group called,'The Cranberry Toes'.One time,while I was with Nik,I had used my keys as a letter opener on a wedding invitation.It was from one of our tree buddies named Oscar.Oscar had wanted Nik's band to play at his reception,but only if they knew some polkas.So,I taught him some.That was when he started singing out loud at work.

phantasmagoria

In answer to my song I heard Nikolas reply with his own>"Phantasmagoria-Ga-ga-Ga-Gloria-Seeing things-in the clouds/Reverting-vertigo-upside down/RonaldMcDonald'sClown/flyingSupermanThroughTown/Daa da da da daa/Daa da da da daa/Phantasmagoria-Ga-ga-Ga-Gloria.">Sometimes,I didn't know why I encouraged him.

Beyond

I plopped the bowline down well beyond the crotch,and it fell almost directly to me.I hooked it with my speedsaw,and brought it into me to untie.">Ready to go, willin' to stay and pay U.S.A., U.S.A.So my sweet love can dance another free day U.S.A., U.S.A.<"I found myself happily singing my little ditty again.

Idea

I lopped the end of my rope with the bowline over the end of my pruner.The idea was to poke it up through the 'better' crotch above me,and handle all of my roping work from there.

Golden

[As I made a quick bowline at the end of my rope.]I swear I am easy to entertain.I know that the silver maple is called a silver because of the sheen of the underside of it's leaves,but I couldn't help but chuckle at my own stupid thoughts,anyway.Was the silver maple called a silver because it was a second rate maple tree?If so,then why wasn't there a golden maple?There were red maples,norway maples,japanese,papermark,and of course sugar maples.They all either glowed orange or 'golden' in the autumn...Maple syrup was sometimes called golden...so why isn't there a golden maple tree?

Blast

But next to the weeping willow this silver maple was going to be a blast.Maple is the perfect cutting wood.I hung my pruner up on a sucker,snapped my saw onto a side ring,and with a quick release knot,attacked my pull line.Whoot-whoo! I was ready to go!

Flexible

[Thanks to Osquer for this One Word]In some trees,like the weeping willow,you have to be more flexible then you have to be in other trees.A weeping willow can wrap you up in her lover's embrace and then suddenly before you know it,you are all tangled up in her spell.Without warning:*snap* you had better be able to bend to her will.

Broke

To be a good tree trimmer,sometimes you have to take chances.You have to walk too far out on a limb.You have to cut off too much.You have to rope too close.It is what makes or breaks you.

Pane

I loved Buster Keaton.I marveled at the risks he took for his art...like the falling house scene,where the whole side of the house falls down around him-only to miss him because he is standing directly under the spot of an empty window pane.That bit of genius inspired me to do as much for my art-tree trimming.

Sketch

He tugged twice on my rope to let me know that everything was tied on.I started yanking the bobbing heavy equipment up to me.It always felt like an old black and white 'Buster Keaton' comedy sketch to me somehow.'watch the clumsy guy almost drop the funny tools on the bumbling man's head.'

Purple

Finally,Nikolas tied the pull rope onto my line.To distinguish between the two ropes,I had put green electrical tape on the end of my rope and Blue-now faded to purple-tape onto the other.

Locked

Nikolas crossed his arms and grabbed my climbing line with both hands.Then,by uncrossing his arms,he created two loops.He put these loops around the head of my pruner and pulled the ends tight.He had literally locked my pruner in place with a cloth hitch.

Blonde

I watched as Nik quickly primed my saw,turned it off and then tied it onto my rope.Though Nikolas had black hair,ever since the incident,I came to sometimes calling him 'James Blonde agent 008'.He would always reply,"You are what you ate."

Obscure

"It's funny,"Nik would comment later,"Once I knew it was there,it was all I could see.How could it have been so obscure?""Well,"I countered,"you only had it 'two years'!"

Insult

In fact,until that moment,he did not know his name was contained within the tribal markings of the tattoo."Don't take it as an insult,"I remember drunkenly stating,"I never saw it either."

Flushed

Yet for all his youth,vigor,and handsome good looks,Nikolas could be simple and shy around people of certain moods.I laughed,and still laugh at how flushed his face became the time Kat gracefully touched his tattoo and explained how absolutely wonderful she thought it was to have his own name spelled out on his own arm.

Tattoo

Nikolas ambled along at an easy gait carrying my tree saw,pole prunner and pull rope.He was 24, 6'2"tall,thin,but muscular with a dark golden tan.He wore a sleeveless,ripped to below his rib cage t-shirt.He had long black hair and a slightly
big,native American looking nose.He had a black tribal design tattoo wrapped
around his left forearm.And he was a happy lad.

Urgent

I heard someone else singing their own happy song,<"It's so gosh darn urgent,urgent,emergency,urgent,urgent,urgent,emergency.">It was Nikolas bringing me my equipment singing his own happy version of,"Hi-Ho."

Lift

<"Ain't getting old,ain't getting younger thoughJust getting used to the lay of the land.I ain't tongue-tied,just don't got nothin' to sayI'm proud to be livin' in the U.S.A.">,It was the little ditty I always sang joyously after I tied in.It never failed to lift my spirits

Punch

I tossed my rope over the main crotch and brought it through both of my 'D' rings.I tied two half hitches.I took the tail,and wrapped it around the other end of my climbing line twice under and then twice over.I only had to punch it through the hole,lean back and tighten it,and wallah-the taunt line hitch was tight and I was tied in.

Free

I still was not tied in,but the rope that had looped itself around the small branch had popped itself free.All the while,I marveled at the cloud face.It's right eye was a perfect circle.The left eye-winking brilliantly through the moving wisps of cloud vapor-was the sun.

Faces

But still,I looked up.The clouds were making faces at me.One was the most amazing I have ever seen.The face was in a couple of clouds floating together.The top,two eyes.The bottom the happinest of smiles.But that wasn't the most amazing part..My jaw dropped..it appeared to be winking at me;-)

Emptiness

The rest of the climb to the top of the sixty five foot silver maple was uneventful.I looked down.Yes,I was a long way up.But it did not bother me(anything over fifteen feet would probably kill me,anyway).It was the looking up at the vast emptiness of the endless sky that bothered me.

pushed

After my breather I set my self back to the task at hand.I wrapped my buckstrap around the left trunk,set my gaff,and pushed myself onward and upward.

Area

I scampered up the crotch.I felt most comfortable in it.As I caught my breath,I looked around,and smiled.This was a beautiful area.I felt exuberant,and glad to be alive.

Laugh

As I struggled up,my grasp began to give way.The bark ripped.I began to fall.Panic driven,I pushed myself higher with my muscular thigh.I had to laugh.I landed with my face directly in the crotch.

Drove

I drove my right spur in up even higher.As to taunt me,the two parts of the 'V' sprouted out wider at their bases.There would be no 'top' until I cleared it-only under.I took my gloves off and stuffed them in my belt.I grabbed hold(clawed) into the bark and heaved.

Sign

I took a deep heavy sigh to gain my courage.Maybe the rope wrapping around that small limb was a sign.I wasted what,five,ten minutes trying to do this the safe way?I replanted my left gaff,and unhooked my buckstrap:'Death or Glory'[becomes just another story].

Usual

It took the usual several throws for me to get the rope back through the crotch.But again,it looped around the small branch.This time,however,it wrapped around it so tightly that there was no getting it off.Damn it.I guess I was gonna have to free climb this bastard afterall!

Gone

After three more throws,the ball fell through the crotch and proceeded to wrap itself around a new growth tiny little twig.I whipped some extra rope up to it,once,twice,and it loosened and fell.Now,if I yanked it just right,it would clear the limb,but not the crotch.'YANK!"Zoooom-it was off the limb and it was gone.

Charged

Pussy!?!Guilty as charged.Here I was throwing my rope twenty feet in the air,just so I would be tied in(or,at least having 'something' wrapped around the tree,somewhere)even when I was wearing spurs!But who gave a shit.I know other guys would have just hiked themselves over this dangerous obstruction,but,damn it,I'm not falling for nobody.

Cross

The monkey ball hit off the left trunk and bounced away from the crotch.I watched it as it fell helplessly down past me."Damn,it,"I cursed in a cross tone.

Leg

I brought the rope between my legs,made a few small coils,and gave myself some slack.Positioning was everything.I would either make it on the first throw,or it would take forever.After three or four practice movements,I tossed it high-almost twenty feet-it sailed well over the crotch that I was aiming for.

Supply

My climbing line had an amply supply of length to do more then one job.I untied it from my 'D' ring.I folded the end of it over three or four times,and then quickly took a couple of wraps.I made a loop at the end,and pulled the contraption tightly through the hole.Now,I had a monkey ball to throw.

Commando

One of the main reasons I enjoyed tree trimming was the noise.The clanking of my equipment always made me feel like an army commando,or navy seal.This imaginary imagery also made me begin to think like one.I already had a stealthy plan on how to attack this tree.

Haste

The main trunk divided upwardly into two main sections,both almost as big as the first.Well,as I have always said,haste makes waste.Take the split second to do the job right.I sat back in my saddle and examined my options.

Roll

After all,it wasn't Katrina I was really forgiving,was it?It was myself.I shook my head,letting it roll across my shoulders a couple of times.Crying time was over...I had reached the large 'V' in the tree.

Justice

Thank 'God' for Jesus Christ.He was my easy silence.He was not so much interested in justice as he was in mercy,"When someone takes your overcoat-give him your jacket as well.How many times should you forgive someone-seven times?Nay,seventy times seven times."This brought back the pain.I forced myself to forgive Kat...again.And with it came the calming peace.

Cocoa

I took a deep heavy sign.How much had I lost adhering unnecessarily to my freakin' principles?Big things like,'not fucking before marriage',to little things like,'always stirring my fuckin' cocoa clockwise'.Good laws to go by, for sure,but....I started back to climbing.

Wrinkle

One of the first warm breezes of spring splashed across my face.I leaned back in my buckstrap not so much as to enjoy it,but to be absorbed by it.That dumb branch had caused me to put yet another small wrinkle into the very fabric of my religious beliefs,"The law was made for man,not man for the law,"kept repeating in my brain.Most Certainly True.

Base

There where many such moments in the life of a tree trimmer.Death or injury just moments away.But it was stupid really.I was taking down this tree.I didn't have to remove that dead limb.I shook my head and continued to climb.If I continued to base my tree trimming skills on my stupid principles,I was going to get myself killed someday.

Petal

Without sucker,flower nor petal,I knew the stub to be dead.Still it snapping off so easily sent me doing a pirouette onto my left gaff,scaring me half to death and making my heart pound out of my chest.

Blemish

Very few trees were without a blemish,weak spot or flaw.A tree trimmer could always find a reason to trim an otherwise healthy tree.Interfering limbs were automatically removed on principle.Therefore,I didn't think twice about removing the dead stub so evilly in my way.I placed my palm against the end of it and pushed..."snap!"

Hook

I came to my first branch(a stub,actually).I had to unsnap my buckstrap,throw it over the obstruction;then hook myself back in.Though I have climbed for over 15 years,I still hated dangling from spurs,even if it was from only twenty feet up[wuss].

Latch

There is a maxim in tree work for when you are not tied in:always have three points of reference.In other words,always have either two hands and one foot,or two feet and one hand on the tree at all times.This way,if a branch you are holding on to,or a limb you are stepping out on breaks,you still have something to latch on to.

Ridge

I simply climbed in circles following the ridge,or(in my own mind-personifying the tree),what I considered the'backbone'of the beast.Wild cherries were the worst,but these silver maples could be their own white whales.

Plumb

It is very unnerving hanging under a tree while trying to spur up it.It is easier to climb up on the top part of the tree and follow it's lean.If this is not possible,you should,at least,try to become plumb to the ground.

Embroidery

Me,though,I preferred to climb.I liked the feel of my (usually gloved)fingers against the rich embroidery of the bark of an ash or walnut tree.I liked the feel of my grip in the grooves of a locust or elm.I felt alive clinging to something else as alive as myself.

Cult

The main religion of most tree trimmers today is what I call the cult of the 'bucket-babies'.Not tree climbers at all.They work with trees for years and don't even know how to tie a tauntline.

Fragrance

The silver maple isn't majestic like a black oak or a shag bark hickory.It doesn't have the sweet fragrance of a tulip poplar or a bitter scent like a weeping willow.In fact,it doesn't even have the beauty of it's cousins the sugar and norway maples.It is more of a weed then anything else.

Slick

So,spurring up a takedown was a slick trick.I dug my gaffs in so deep that the bark pulled out with them.

Stark

You see,I was never truly comfortable in a tree until I was 'tied in'.But,in stark contrast to being tied in,what held me onto a tree the most when I wasn't,was prue fear.

Outrage

I struck my right foot down with the force of controlled outrage.Anger was a tool used in tree trimming.It was a safety device,and when used properly,worked almost as good as fear.

Planted

I planted my left spur deep in through the bark,and started my hike up.

Around

I threw my buckstrap around the tree and snapped my hook onto my 'D' ring.

Pull

The best part about doing a takedown is that you don't have to pull yourself up.You can use your spurs.

Rope

There were no two ways about it.I uncoiled my rope,tossed it to the trunk,and tied the end of it to my saddle.

Service

The Good:the lean was such that I could drop the tree right in the front yard.The Bad:the triplex service wire ran right through the center of the tree.The Ugly:Instead of flopping it with one cut-I was gonna have to climb it.

Twist

Looking up at it this close you could see it's every twist and turn.

Fill

It's girth was big enough to fill up the whole front yard.I hugged it,trying to find it's lean.

Clad

Clad in it's spring attire,I looked up the budding silver maple.