I didn't think about it until about 1pm, when Peaches and I got into the car and headed out for the store. We share a driveway with 3 other houses, and on the steep slope of our driveway just before our nearest neighbor's house, a medium-sized tree had come down in the rain, falling square across our driveway. Initially I told Peaches to get out and help me drag it over to one side of the road, but upon looking further I realized that the upper branches were so big and twisted around the stuff at the back of my neighbor's house that we'd never be able to move it.

Peaches ran to get the Pirate, who came bearing an axe. He started chopping some of the larger branches away from the trunk in preparation for attacking the trunk itself, but the neighbors came out with their chainsaw, making the work go even more quickly. Clearing away the 12"-diameter tree (which had a smaller, 3"-diameter tree twined around it) away took less than 15 minutes. The man wielding the Chainsaw of Salvation is the one whose dog had eaten my chickens, and he said that he was going to get me new ones, but I told him there was no need. He's a nice man, and I know that he feels bad, but any debt that he owed me has been paid with the removal of that tree. Another neighbor invited us to the candlelight vigil being held in town to protest the racist events that have recently taken place. We said we'd surely be there (although I will be out of town). It was nice to stand and talk to our neighbors while we all cleared away this tree.

I lost some chickens but gained some love and respect for my neighbors. A small price to pay, surely.