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.