Pooh would say it was a “blustery, wintry day,” but no ---
it was just blustery.
I
saw some branches alongside the road as I went to church this morning, and the
traffic lights were out on the way to the coffee shop afterwards, but it was
only when I returned home, in the daylight, that I saw the extent of the
destruction from last night’s storm.
In my own back yard were a few good sized branches on the
ground, dead branches that had cracked off from high up the maple tree. But on the main road running outside my
subdivision were many trees, not just with branches torn off, but cracked apart
at their bases, like the one pictured, with their branches torn into pieces lying
nearby. It looked somewhat as if some
passing giant had cracked off the trees, and then one by one pulled apart the
branches.
Looking at the damage so near my home, I thanked God that He
had directed the storm down the middle of the main roadway, away from the
nearby homes, like mine.
The nearby 7-11 parking lot sported a couple of severely
damaged trees. The owner was “hoping”
the township would take responsibility and come and do a cleanup --- soon. And perhaps it would, but probably not
soon. The damage around town appears
extensive, but limited almost exclusively to trees and nearby fences. I came home and rang my neighbor’s doorbell, asking
if I could borrow back the chain saw I had given him a few months ago, because “I
never use it.” He smiled and said: “Indian-giver.”
I took the chain saw and some heavy branch clippers over to
the 7-11, and Ron thanked me profusely.
But I told him I was not just letting him use the saw, but also that I
had plans to use my fireplace this winter, for the first time in years. “And I don’t have any firewood,” I said as I
looked out the window into the parking lot at all the broken tree branches. He smiled.
“Okay, Tom, where do you want your firewood stacked?”
“Oh no,” I said. “You
don’t have to do that.”
“I’ll be by later to pick it up.”
Yes, God does watch over us, even to providing the firewood
for our fireplaces.
Oh my goodness, Tom. So glad to hear your home wasn't affected! That WAS a blustery day, indeed. What a cute story about things working out for the good of all by doing a kind deed. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe story continues ... I have a few friends who "don't read blogs," but like to read what I write, so I email them the Word document I post. One commented back to me that it would be bad to burn unseasoned wood, and I should save the wood Ron cut until next year. "And in the meantime, drop by our place; I have piles of seasoned wood you can have."
ReplyDeleteI'm stopping by tomorrow morning to fill up my trunk from his generosity. Neat-o!