Ahhh, the Benevolent Bounty of Bureaucracy!
TRANSLATION: If you want anything done by "The City" - talk DIRECTLY to your Council Person!
So. Let us go back in Time, shall we...
Now when was it? Last month...? Whatever. It was at this "Community" Family Day event held in the parking lot of the nearby shopping mall, sponsored by the local Councilor Guy... Free hot dogs, pony rides [pony poo...], blow-up things for kids to jump on [including a shiny fire truck! With strapping Firemen!], a handful of business sponsor reps [*not* giving out a lot of free stuff like they used to!], and the obligatory earwax-melting-a-mile-away speakers of the Bandstand.
Oh, yeah, and let's not forget the poor local STAR WARS chapter of FanBoys all decked out in their STORMTROOPER gear in the 30C heat! Luckily, there was a good stiff breeze and clouds.
Anyhoo, short-story long... Elderly Mother & I spot the afore-mentioned Councilor and eventually get the opportunity to "chat" with him...
Our neighbourhood has this not so little Ash Tree Borer problem...
NOTE: I do NOT possess the "Botany" Gene. I hate gardening. I HATE BUGS!!! - I just want to make that point clear for any future reference.
Right. So, there's this tree bug problem with the "City" planted trees. Most of which, *except* of course, "ours", were cut down last Fall - you know, *after* the leaves were off and raked... We *WANTED* ours CUT!! We have more than enough trees in our front yard and this one just sheds crappy seeds and stuff... And then, just to add in a bit of pseudo-your-tax-dollars-at-work, They plant these other pitiful tree saplings next to the stumps.
Keep in mind here - [1] we don't have a stump; [2] Charlie Brown Tree gets embedded into the 6 feet or so space between a rather nice lilac bush and the non-stump by; [3] one poor guy, whilst 4 of his buddies look on, into hard clayish soil underpinned with shale about 3 feet down; [4] did I mention it was late Fall?; [5] NO one bothered to *ask* us if we even wanted it! - until AFTER the mine shaft was excavated!!
Now, back to the captive Councilor... Mother reiterated the above and politely "requested" - in that disarming "I'm a Senior and a great-grandmother and I don't take no crap" kind of way - that said Tree, be dealt with at the earliest opportunity...
Gotta give the C-Guy points here. He quickly whipped out his Note pad and took down our name and address - as well as my card! Apparently, there happened to be some upcoming meeting concerning said horticultural dilema...
Present Day. Well, earlier this morning - BEFORE - I got up anyway.
Mother tells me that a big X was splattered on The TREE by City Guys!! Execution Day though, is still up in the air. But, at least it's a start...
BTW, the neighbours to the left - with the only other dead tree besides us - didn't get an X! But, they're new and haven't figured it out yet, that to get anything done, you have to get someone over 70 to get on City Hall's case!
Meanwhile... I realize that none of Today's Entry was even remotely related to anything crochet-ish, though perhap a tad "yarnful"... Then again, the Wood Paneling was a tree once. It's a bit of a stretch, I know, but there really wasn't anything note-worthy going on today. Well, except maybe the weather being a bit cooler... sorta...
If I remember, and/or get a chance, I'll snap a shot of The X tomorrow and post it! Maybe...
Okay... Enough with the tree-huggy crap.. I *really* should just stick to crocheting...
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