THAT was thing #2!

[sarahmichelef]

 I thought of it as we backed out the driveway this morning.

So... the spring after the October Surprise Storm (remember the one that knocked out our power for a week?) the city came through and took out the big tall tree that was on the west side of the house (in the easement, therefore their problem).  At the time (spring 2006), we got a notice that they would come through to grind the stump... sometime.

Fast forward one year, to spring 2007.  The stump is still there, looking shrubby because the tree is trying as hard as it can to come back.  We refuse to do anything with it because it's the city's responsibility, and really, it's a good landmark to tell people trying to find the house.  The neighbors across the street lost their big pine tree in February and at some point the city comes by and removes that stump.  I ask Lolly and she says that she called the city and reminded them about it.  Shortly after that, oodles of stump-grinding equipment comes through the neighborhood, little flags are put up marking the various wires and pipes underground, and all the stumps disappear except 

So M calls the city.  The mayor has set up this special phone number that you're supposed to call about things like this (or potholes - he claims that all potholes will be filled w/in 24 hours of being reported) and that's what he called.  And nothing happened for about a month.  Then, late last week it must have been, there was fresh paint around some of the flags.

And then, Wednesday, we came home and there was no more stump.  NO MORE STUMP!  They spread grass seed but there's been no watering of it.  We were kind of thinking we might turn it into a perennial bed, or at least part of it.  We probably will put in some bulbs there this fall, if we get time.

Comments

[meneleth.livejournal.com]

We did NOT want the town to cut down our tree. It had been damaged in the storm, but *we* thought it would be okay. A couple of years before we'd put in a circular garden around it filled with white stone and we liked it. Of course, they came when we weren't home and cut down the tree. But, lo and behold, our little tree wasn't giving up. Like yours, it started putting up little trunks. This summer I kept shaping it, so now it is a nice more-or-less-shrub. Then the ominous paint lines and flags appeared and we thought we'd come home and find the stump gone. However, they arrived as Meg was coming home from school and she told them we didn't want it cut. She called me at work and I talked to them and we finally had Meg write up a note in our name saying we would take responsibility if someone tripped over our tree (?!) and the town was clear. So we have our little bush out front now, to our and our neighbors' delight. Hoping it will make it through this winter...

[alphasarah.livejournal.com]

hooray for you guys! I'm pretty sure they took it out because of liability issues should it come crashing down later. And now we have a spot in the side yard sunny enough for a vegetable garden, so we're happy.

[meneleth.livejournal.com]

Ah, ours was a curbside tree. Dennis said it was probably too badly split to be safe, but I had wanted to give it a chance.

It sounds like we're both happy with our outcomes!