if a tree falls on a weekend...

does anyone care?

Yesterday, we noticed that a large tree had fallen over.  It was most likely a casualty of the obnoxious Saturday wind.

This was problematic because it was totally blocking the sidewalk and grass.  Sidewalk users were bound by a residential fence on one side and a busy boulevard on the other.  (Note:  this is "my" crosswalk boulevard with the horrible drivers).

I know that this sidewalk gets a lot of pedestrian traffic from kids walking to and from school.  Now, I'm not usually one to think morbid thoughts, but I did have visions of kids trying to walk around the downed tree by stepping into the crazy-driver boulevard.  I called the city.

"Hello, there's a large fallen tree blocking the sidewalk on crazy-driver boulevard."

"Oh, okay.  Is it blocking the road?"

"Not really, it spills onto the road, but cars can pass"

"Okay, we don't have a crew to clean it up today.  I'll leave a note for tomorrow".

"I see, well I do know that a number of kids will be walking that way to school in the morning, so I was concerned that they will try to walk in the street".

"Oh, okay.  Is the tree blocking the road?"

"Not really, it spills onto the road, but cars can pass"  *deja vu*?

"Okay, I'll leave a note for tomorrow". 

Let me just say now that this isn't a rant about the city not cleaning up the tree in time for school this morning.  It was a Sunday, and I was just happy that a real person answered the phone. 

The point is, that we can take matters into our own hands, so that's what "we" did.  *ahem*.  Magnum took our camp saw to the tree carcass and cut a path for the pedestrians.  It was quite an architectural masterpiece, really.  I should've gotten a picture, but instead all I have is the aftermath of what the city left after they did eventually get to it.

It wasn't a complicated thing to do (easy for me to say) to provide some peace of mind.  And it didn't go unnoticed.  I ran into another mom I know from the neighborhood whose daughter walks with Meego to their bus stop. 

"Your husband's awesome for cutting through that tree.  I called the city, but they wouldn't clear it yesterday."

Yeah, maybe we'll send them a bill.  Or maybe they'll "accidentally" fix the pothole at the end of our driveway?

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Now for something totally unrelated... I've learned that,  not only is it NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo, and Movember, it is also portrait-a-day month for the portraitly inclined. 

I confess that, when first hearing of this, I was all "nope, not enough time, plus, what if they suck?"  but then I thought I could at least try because it will be good exercise for my "accepting my vulnerabilities" (life coachee speak right there!)

So I will try to crank a portrait a day.  Just pencil stuff.  Spending no longer than an hour. 

Know who it is?  Got a fave face?

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