Candlelight dinner
My new neighbor knocked on my door yesterday afternoon to tell us happy Thanksgiving!! and also that the tree in front of my house was on fire. A good 50 feet in the air, a large section of it smoldered and smoked, and when the winds gusted, the embers glowed red hot and blew on down the block. Good goddam thing I decided it wouldn't do to try to pretend I wasn't home and instead rousted my snoozing self from the recliner.
The tree is massive. Planted in 1915 or so, it is now a mighty Ash that towers waaaay above my shrimpy 3-story home. So who flicked a cigarette butt 50 feet in the air and caught the tree on fire? Oh don't be silly. The power cable that ran across the tops of the utility poles out front had evidently been rubbing against the limb of the tree for some time and it became frayed and eventually snapped, firing up the tree and the ground below with 40,000 volts of electricity. And also causing an extended power outage to the southern half of the Island at the height of turkey-cooking time.
What's Thanksgiving without a visit from my friends at the Trenton Fire Department and PSE+G? I love those guys. But now I need to form a close and personal relationship with the city's tree guys cuz I've got a 75-foot section of Ash leaning out over my house that has been weakend by the red-hot fire that burned halfway through it.
Oh Em. What lengths will you go to?...
Posted by:Mr Wibble | November 26, 2005 at 05:31 AM
whatever it takes, Mr. Wibble. ;-)
Posted by:em | November 26, 2005 at 09:38 AM
Firemen for Thanksgiving! I commend you.
Posted by:Jamie | November 26, 2005 at 06:16 PM
I was thinking the same thing, Mr Wibble. You Americans have such an exciting time, Em.
Posted by:Em | November 27, 2005 at 06:20 PM
It's all in the timing ;-)
Posted by:Greavsie | November 28, 2005 at 04:50 AM
I'm sure you'll find a willing tree man who'll go out on a limb for you.
Seriously, did you plan this, Em? What's thanksgiving without a little drama, eh?
Posted by:ellie | November 28, 2005 at 10:04 AM
Great introduction. Did the neighbour chat for a while about the weather, or let you know about the tree straight away?
Posted by:JtH | November 28, 2005 at 04:16 PM
the fireman said you'd have better luck getting PSE&G to prune the tree than getting the city to do it...
Posted by:.rz | November 28, 2005 at 06:39 PM
that's hot
Posted by:jj | November 29, 2005 at 09:51 AM
Have you not interrogated the local squirrel population? Seems to me like they have a few scores to settle... ;-)
Posted by:Daisy | November 29, 2005 at 02:28 PM
rrr, damn squirrels.
Posted by:em | November 29, 2005 at 08:25 PM