Out on a Limb

So, I have this gigantic tree in the front yard of my home on the busy-ish street. Last week during rush hour, a limb fell off. To put it in perspective, I hear the limb in question was large enough that when it fell it downed the telephone wires across the street.

Mr. 114 was kind enough to drop what he was doing Friday long enough to sympathize about my situation. He then was kind enough to call me on Saturday to ask something along the lines of how much money I am intending to spend.

My answer was pretty simple: enough to make sure no other branches fall down. And, I am willing to spend the money before the next tornado warning (storms scheduled for Monday). The way I see it, I am willing to spend a lot less money on Mr. 114 than I would if a branch fell on to the house or on to a person. Essentially, whether I intended to or not, I have given Mr. 114 a blank check.

I don't believe Mr. 114 is taking advantage. He and I have a history and I am confident everything he has done for me up to this point has been with integrity. He knows I am in a bind. But, there are permits to get. Apparently the police need to block the street long enough for Mr. 114 to do his magic. Mr. 114 also needs to coordinate with the power company and others to make sure everyone is aware there will be hacking and sawing taking place.

Mr. 114 wasn't quite sure how much of the tree he would be taking down, or if he would be taking the entire tree down. He was leaving that to his discretion. I told him do what needed to be done, keeping in mind I did not need a wrongful death suit on my hands.