Re: Close call.

[Guest guest]

wrote: " I was in the kitchen when " CRACK, POP, CRACKLE, " the

unmistakable sound of a falling tree ... <snip> ... "

It was very good of you to go over to see if everyone was all right and to check

out the trees that fell over in your neighbour's backyard. Thank goodness no

one was hurt.

Raven

[Guest guest]

Glad you okay and that nobody was hurt (including the animals), hope your

neighbour manages to get things sorted out soon. I expect the damage to the

house is quite bad?

>

> I was in the kitchen when " CRACK, POP, CRACKLE, " the unmistakable sound of

> a falling tree. After several hurricanes and an ice storm you know the

> sound well. A few tense seconds of wondering if I had missed a tree that

> threatened the house, it landed somewhere away from the house. It was close

> though because of how loud it was.

>

> I looked out the back window and I didn't see anything. Looked out the

> side window and I saw a tree on the new neighbor's house. The tree had come

> from somewhere in the back and landed on their roof.

>

> After telling my mother what had happened, she hear the noise but didn't

> know where the tree fell (she was shocked when I told her it was on the

> neighbor's house), I went over there. By the time I got there, another

neighbor

> who had been doing yardwork and one who was taking a walk and a man in some

> kind of service truck who it happen and had stopped, were nearly there.

> The one neighbor went around back and I rang the doorbell.

>

> Almost immediately the lady of the house opened the door. I asked if

> everyone was OK and she said yes, more or less. She had been in the room that

> tree landed on. She said the ceiling was cracked and bowed in so she was

> undertandably shaken. Her pets had been with her and both had run out of the

> room howling. The cat was somewhere and the dog was hiding under a table.

>

> She came outside with her phone looked at the mess from the front and

> called her husband to come home, then made some other calls. The neighbors and

I

> talked about this, the trees and some other things. When she was done, we

> chatted a bit and she let her dog out. The dog has seen me from a distance

> but wasn't sure what to think with me close up and as shaken as it was. It

> backed away when I held out my hand so I just stood up and let her be. Sure

> enough, the dog circled around behind me and sniffed at my feet and lower

> legs. I didn't react of try to pet it because of how nervous it was and I

> didn't want to set it off anymore.

>

> After this, the neighbors left and I asked if I could go around back to

> have a look. She said that was fine so I went to look. In reality, two trees

> had fallen. One was extremely rotten. It was maybe 18 inches to 2 feet thick

> where it broke but it couldn't have had 2 inches of wood around the

> outside and it was in terrible shape. The core was just a giant termite

colony.

> It had fallen into the other tree and caused it to break about 8 feet above

> the ground and fall. The second one was the one that reached the house.

>

> The lady of the house came out and took some pictures and I stayed a few

> minutes to point out the trees. Pity that they had done a lot of work on the

> back yard and the trees landed on a lot of it. Then again, the husband had

> been working right in that area over the last several days, so it was good

> in a way that it happened when he wasn't out there. Its a mess but I'm not

> going to be taking pictures of this, since I don't like taking pictures of

> other's misfortunes.

>

> If I learn anything else, I'll pass it along.

>

>

> **************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and

>

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>

[Guest guest]

" After this, the neighbors left and I asked if I could go around back to have a

look. She said that was fine so I went to look. In reality, two trees had

fallen. One was extremely rotten. It was maybe 18 inches to 2 feet thick where

it broke but it couldn't have had 2 inches of wood around the outside and it was

in terrible shape. The core was just a giant termite colony. It had fallen into

the other tree and caused it to break about 8 feet above the ground and fall.

The second one was the one that reached the house. "

I know the sounds to which you are referring. There was a time a couple of years

back when a big storm hit. I went out on the porch to watch it arrive, always

planning to go in if it got too nasty. A big gust of wind came through and blew

over an old willow tree. The tree went over so fast that I did not actually see

it fall.

I had been turned away from it and did not even notice it was missing in the

darkness from the storm, even though it was still light out.

But the power was out across the street because the tree had knocked the lines

down, so that was what clued me in to what happened.

There was a tornado that came through here two or three years ago that caused a

lot of storm damage, and for a while afterward, some trees just toppled over on

their own without the wind to move them. They had been tipped so that their root

systems weakened, and gravity finally took over, or else, ants had eaten through

the core of the boles of some of them, and the slight shifting of position had

caused them to split open or crack in half.

We ive in various perils every day and just don't know it.

These things are always cool to see...when no one gets hurt and when it's not

our own property that gets damaged.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

>

> I was never in any danger myself, just the lady of the house next door.

> They are OK though, but I think the dog may still be rattled.

>

> Shortly after I got back here, a contractor showed up. Now there are

> several trucks next door. It looks like they cut back enough tree limbs to put

> some plywood on the rood and now they are putting up tarps. Big ones. I have

> no idea the extent of the damage or how much it will cost, but that is none

> of my business. But given the amount of plywood that went up and the size

> of the tarps, it must be extensive.

>

>

I hope they had insurance. I am glad everyone is ok. My neighbors thought I

was crazy when I cut every tree within striking distance of the house (60 trees)

But we have hurricanes where I am and I have seen trees do what you said. The

saddest part is when someone has cut homeowners insurance to save money and

effectively they lose their house

[Guest guest]

In the two days following the tree fall, they got the trees taken care of and the roof covered. For the last two days a storage pod has been in their driveway and someone has been moving things into it. Not sure who is doing it though since they went on vacation this weekend and I'm not sure they are back. At least I don't think anyone has stayed in the house the last few nights. They are probably moving all of the furniture from upstairs and some of the back rooms on the main floor. A van that looks like it belongs to a contractor is out there but I can't see it clearly from here and I'm not going out just to rubberneck, that is vulgar.

I hope they had insurance. I am glad everyone is ok. My neighbors thought I was crazy when I cut every tree within striking distance of the house (60 trees) But we have hurricanes where I am and I have seen trees do what you said. The saddest part is when someone has cut homeowners insurance to save money and effectively they lose their house Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449!

[Guest guest]

Actually, we were both focused on the same thing before the tree broke: getting in the house from the car. It was still really cold out and nasty so we were hurrying. Not that it was really much better in the house since there was no power and the fireplace was more for show than practical use since it filled the room with fumes even though the chimney was clean and clear.

That said: she was still a coward. We got her when she was about a year old and we think a previous owner may have abused her and we weren't told about it. She was very intelligent and clever, just afraid of most things.

In a message dated 5/6/2009 2:09:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

The dog was a royal coward? Really? I can't help but think that the opposite is closer to the truth: the dog was being sensible not liking that situation, likely due to things he could sense and you could not (say, the sounds of the tree cracking!), and all it was is his finely-honed sense of self-preservation kicking in, and you just being lucky to be in the case where he could force the issue and save you from yourself Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449!

[Guest guest]

Forgot to mention earlier. I think there were some casualties from the tree falls. Since the trees fell, I have seen only a single Goldfinch on the feeders where prior to that a dozen at any one time was common. I think they must have been nesting in those trees and lost their nests, or their lives, or their nests were close to those trees and they were scared away. Also missing are the Indigo Buntings.

I am glad everyone is ok. Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449!

[Guest guest]

The dog was a royal coward? Really? I can't help but think that the opposite

is closer to the truth: the dog was being sensible not liking that situation,

likely due to things he could sense and you could not (say, the sounds of the

tree cracking!), and all it was is his finely-honed sense of self-preservation

kicking in, and you just being lucky to be in the case where he could force the

issue and save you from yourself

>

> I am quite familiar with those sounds too. In 1998, a major ice storm hit.

> For that day and most of the night, a tree broke about every minute. Bad

> enough in daylight, but in the dark, you would hear the bang when it cracked

> followed by the sound of it crashing down, then the ground shaking boom

> when it hit. All you could do was to hold your breath since it was impossible

> to tell where it was.

>

> When Hurricane Isabel came through, I was standing at the front window to

> this very room when a tree in the neighbor's yard fell. It came all the way

> across the street and the topmost tips of the tree brushed the window.

> Couldn't even tell where it was once it started moving because it came down

so

> fast and was lost in a cloud of mist from the rain coming off of the

> leaves. Funny though that I don't recall hearing that one.

>

> Perhaps the worst was also during the ice storm. I was out in the yard with

> the dog when the top of a pine tree broke. I didn't know what tree it was

> but the dog ran and pulled me along. Branches hit my shoulder and the top

> slammed down near where I had been standing. I had heard it break but it was

> down so fast I didn't have time to see where it was. Good thing that dog

> was a royal coward.

>

> After situations like that, you get to know the sound very well.

>

>

>

>

> In a message dated 4/29/2009 5:19:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> no_reply writes:

>

> I know the sounds to which you are referring. There was a time a couple of

> years back when a big storm hit. I went out on the porch to watch it

> arrive, always planning to go in if it got too nasty. A big gust of wind came

> through and blew over an old willow tree. The tree went over so fast that I

> did not actually see it fall.

>

> **************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and

>

Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631276x1201390200/aol?redi\

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>

[Guest guest]

One of the trees, the first one to fall, was termite infested. That tree was about 150 feet from my house, so I don't think that will be an issue. I also have a termite contract with a pest control company so that also helps.

It is a shame about the birds though.

that is a bummer, also now that termites have been exposed they will be looking to build a new home (be careful william) likely this time of year they will look outside? Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449!

[Guest guest]

>

I think they

> must have been nesting in those trees and lost their nests, or their lives,

> or their nests were close to those trees and they were scared away. Also

> missing are the Indigo Buntings.

>

>

>

that is a bummer, also now that termites have been exposed they will be looking

to build a new home (be careful william) likely this time of year they will look

outside?

[Guest guest]

" Forgot to mention earlier. I think there were some casualties from the tree

falls. Since the trees fell, I have seen only a single Goldfinch on the feeders

where prior to that a dozen at any one time was common. I think they must have

been nesting in those trees and lost their nests, or their lives, or their nests

were close to those trees and they were scared away. Also missing are the Indigo

Buntings. "

If they lived, they will remember where the feeder was an come back eventually.

The exception will be if any of these birds were nesting (as it raising young).

If they've lost their young, they will go elsewhere -where they deem it more

safe- to start fresh, and that place will be near to some other bird feeder.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Its my concern that the nests were destroyed or the birds were scared away by the fall or all the activity that followed over two days getting the debris cleared away. So far everything has returned but the Finches and the Bunting.

In a message dated 5/7/2009 1:25:44 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

If they lived, they will remember where the feeder was an come back eventually. The exception will be if any of these birds were nesting (as it raising young). If they've lost their young, they will go elsewhere -where they deem it more safe- to start fresh, and that place will be near to some other bird feeder.Administrator Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449!