We’ve Hit a Snag

Attached, and I use the term loosely (pun intended), to the back of our rattle trap home (affectionately and henceforth referred to as ‘the hovel’), is a tiny 6’x8’ redwood deck. Also built by the Three Fingered Blind Men thirty years ago it is about to fall down. Stand in one place and sway and the whole deck sways with you (I sense a song in that).  "Really, really poor workmanship" said our Master Builder Buddy.  We are blessed to have him and another friend offer to donate labor to rebuild it – and rebuild it MUCH bigger. I am thrilled. Outside living space is nonexistent and a 14x10 deck is unimaginable to me. Our friends came two weeks ago to tear it down and…



They hit a snag. Literally.

Our big, dead, but loved, cedar snag

A snag is a standing dead tree. Our big bottomed 100’ cedar right off the back deck completely died two years ago. We need to have it downed because if it goes down by itself it will take out our neighbor’s garage, his fishing boat, and part of our roof, and our neighbor would never forgive the destruction of his fishing boat. But, because the tree fallers will have to climb it and drop it in pieces, it could damage the new deck - so everything was postponed.

See the boat in the background?

So, you say, what’s the problem? Just take the tree down. The problem is that I love our snag. Birds love our snag, especially birds of prey who can see the ground from the top leaf free. A flock of homing pigeons perches in the top twice a day during their seventh inning stretch. We don’t have T.V. so I can hear them cooing singing "Take Me Out to the Cedar Snag" when they are visiting. The squirrels love our snag and chase each other round and round providing endless entertainment for the cats who can see the trunk from the sliding glass door.  It's a real "circle of life" here.  Hakuna Matata and all that.



This is a daily occurence



Snags are important environmentally, and if it is safe to keep them standing you should. But ours is not safe, not just because of the falling-over-and-crushing-boats issue, but also because of fire which is our perpetual Big Nasty Threat. So we need to take our snags down (there is another at the back of the property).  Our old friends have to go.  But I will see if they can leave enough of the stump to be used as a table - I know the workmanship will last longer than the old sway back deck did.