Your tree hugging hippie wannabe

I am not sure if  people considered me a hippie and/or a “tree hugger” the way I have presented myself in the blah-gisper.  But  If I did,  then so be it. What could these haters do anyway? Ah!- except ridicule me in their blogs which I care less. Hippie if you don’t know yet is a way of life. They are human beings who also live among us.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie

I might be what they think I am, but for sure,  I could not be an Ampatuan Massacre hugger like the lady in black dress (na may nunal) featured in December 4-10, 2009 issue of  Asian Journal.

Tree hugger wannabe

Not your typical tree hugger

Last fall while relaxing at the park, the city cutters/pruners came in full force. By the look of the equipments they were carrying, I knew they were up for something big.  Obviously, they were not there to prune branches but bring down a tree.

Wondering why they have decided to cut the tree, because from a “tree hugger’s” point of view, there was nothing wrong with the  tree. It looked healthy to me.

I should mind my own business right? It’s their  job as laid out in their job descriptions. And without so much trees in New York City to take care of, there is no need for a city tree pruners position.  As we always hear the saying, “Trabaho lang walang personalan..”

For some reasons, I did not stay still.  Without delay, I approached the man holding a  roaring chainsaw that was whirling frantically carried a familiar deafening eerie and hair raising sound of death.

From a safe distance,  I raised my question in a respectful manner.  At that moment, I could only think of being lucky because the man holding the chainsaw was not a “tree hugger” hater  and most of all not  Andal Sr  who according to the rumor, had used chainsaw to cut a person head’s off  as  the story goes;

Tuloy natin ang kwento tungkol sa asawa ni Andal Sr na na-in love sa ibang lalaki. Pinapatay daw ni Andal Sr ang lalaki sa pamamagitan sa pagpugot ng kanyang ulo gamit ang chainsaw na ginagamit sa logging. Ito ay ginawa sa harap ng ama ng lalaki. (Source: Mam Ellen’s Blog)

The tree cutter was kind enough to turn off the chainsaw, then there was the sound of silence. He then explained to me patiently that “the tree has to go because it is dying and a hazard to the park goers.” Of course, he was right. Few nights ago during the thunder storm a tree fell  down nearly missed my neighbor’s car.

dead tree nearly missed my neighbor's car

The older man to my right, (I guess) jokingly asked me, “Are you one of those tree huggers boy?” I responded him with a smile.

* Smile translated as: “if I were a tree hugger, what are you… a tree killer? waahahahah!”

Then, I watched them cut the tree down.

lemon tree not so pretty but well and alive