Laurie and I were arriving home on July 12 around five when I noticed something was amiss. The huge Black Oak tree living on the front yard was down! The driveway was completely covered with the tree, so I had to come in from the road onto the yard.
After the initial shock wore off I gathered my little chain saw and began to clear a way to get to teh garage. This was a big job, and I completed this task in the following morning with a charged battery for the saw.
We were extremely fortunate with no part of the tree hitting the house and deck. The satellite dish was missed, also. My rail fence across the drive had one post knocked off level but no breakage. I do have various damages that will need replaced, but the fact of nothing major sure is a great thought.
I called the insurance company and a couple of tree crews and settled on one outfit. It took three days for the oak to be removed and cleanup.
Interestingly, I counted the rings the best I could and came up with 158 to 160 growth rings. This tree’s growth began around 1863 or so at the time of the Civil War! Once the stump was cut close to ground level I measured the base at six feet- four inches.
I always liked the old tree and will miss the shade it provided. Acorns were forming on the limbs. The tree man said he could evidence of a disease around the roots. This was what caused the decay at base level. The rest of the tree was sound solid wood.
The driveway is under this mess.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 
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