Wednesday, January 23, 2019

1/23/2019 Caring Bridge

Journal entry by Al Negstad — 20 minutes ago
      Today with a break between my classes at school I wandered outside to see what all the noise was about.  In a bunch of three tall palm trees one was dead and the "school" wanted it down.  It was large and tall enough to be hazard should it fall the wrong way or at the wrong time. The solution was to bring it down, the process was fascinating.
      One of the boys shinnied about half way up the trunk, perhaps fifteen feet from the ground, and tied a rope around it.  It was a very long rope stretching  across the playground.  The 5th and 6th grade classes grabbed the rope and with a mighty tug the tree came crashing down.  This was all during class time.  Obviously palm trees fell much easier than ash or oak.  It was a sizable trunk, both tall and thick, so it fell with a thud.  
     This experience reminded me of the time some years ago when the tress on the school lot had been trimmed.  The students piled the branches at the end of the playground and then they were lit on fire.  Left to tend the fire when classes resumed was the kindergarten class.
     These experiences are much like those that were familiar to me from 8, years in a one room school house with grades 1 to 8.  Obviously liability issues are not paramount.  They are also part of what I find fascinating about life here.


Blessings,

Al

Pictures from the tree felling
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