The "Everything's Gonna Be All Right" Butterfly

So we had this big disaster recently, in which an 80-foot tree fell on our house and deck. It happened on Friday morning at 5 a.m., and the tree just . . . fell. There was no storm, no wind, no rain (though there had been very heavy rains a few days before). We finally got hold of a tree removal service on Sunday afternoon.

They came by and gave us an estimate Sunday night, and on Monday morning when we talked to them again, they agreed to come out on Tuesday morning, first thing ("we'll be there between 7:30 and 8"), to remove our tree.

So it was that Tuesday dawned with sounds of boots on the roof and chainsaws. Within about the first two hours, they had attached a winch to a nearby tree and used it to lift the top part of the tree off the roof, so they could cut it and remove it. After that, it was a matter of chopping and hauling.

The tree was a variety of cherry tree. It was 80 feet tall, and its roots had rotted out. It weighed in the ballpark of 4500 to 5000 pounds. When it hit our house, it hit with the force of several tons. As the tree was removed, we were able to view the deck and roof clearly for the first time. Parts of the deck railing are toast. The roof itself looks scraped up but otherwise remarkably unharmed, but we'll need to get an expert in to check all of that out.

And now I find I have a story to tell you. (Don't I always?)  ;-) This isn't my first tree disaster rodeo. I've had trees fall before, the worst time being back in January 2005 in an ice storm, when many, MANY trees fell on the house and deck. A tree fell about every 15 or 20 minutes that night, as I lay like a stick in my bed, praying for my house, and praying for daylight - and help - to come.

That time, a "hero tree" at the back corner of the deck caught - and held - the weight of so many of those trees, sparing my house. Half of that tree went down in that episode; they wanted to remove it all but I said No: a hero tree, even mangled as it was, deserves to live.

Fast forward to: the last tree that fell here was in late March of this year. It was the other half of my original "hero tree," and it had the decency to MISS THE HOUSE ENTIRELY, leaving behind just a nub of the other part. Do you want to guess what absorbed most of the force of this most recent cherry tree that fell? You're right! In its final miracle, that last tiny nub of my "hero tree" saved us, once again.

The tree guys actually completed their work in remarkably good time, and they presented us with a bill, which I paid. And then they left in their pick-up truck. Within five minutes of their departure, one of our fawns was back under the deck for its afternoon nap!

My husband looked out and saw the fawn, such a marvelous little living creature, against so much tree devastation. The resilient fawn was like a sign. My husband said (like that line from the very best scene in The Outlaw Josey Wales): "It shall be life!"

The guys had been dragging branches and wood around, and so after they left, my husband suggested I go check out my milkweed patch, to make sure no caterpillar had been knocked off of his or her milkweed.

And as I was standing there, two gorgeous monarch butterflies showed up and put on a fantastic air show. They looked amazing, like stained glass windows! (This one's a male - see those dots on the hind wings?) "We told you everything was going to be all right," said the one butterfly.

I'd like to give a shout-out to my husband, who served as project manager on scene for this day. He was there every second, helping to answer questions and direct the work, including making sure they removed some hangers (which is to say: collateral damage to other trees).

There are still things we need to do to wrap this up. The tree is gone but we will need someone to come by and look at the roof and deck, and provide more estimates, and do more work. And we can do those things. We're also getting estimates for some additional tree trimming and removal (including the perplexing matter of what to do about a huge, 175-year-old oak tree that's got a worrisome case of the leans), but that's further down the road.

The tree on our house and deck was the biggest cause of concern, and I can tell you that it was so very heavy, carrying it around in my "worry box" for these past several days. I have not been sleeping. My blood pressure's been through the roof. When that tree came off, baby, I almost felt a physical sense of relief: with the weight of it gone, I felt like I could dance!

Here are our soundtrack songs for this day, in which the great tree was removed. One is for the hero tree that performed its final miracle, and helped save our house yet again: Enrique Iglesias, with Hero. And here is a tune from the BeeGees, for the girl who felt light enough to dance, once that tree was gone from the roof: You Should Be Dancing.