A “SAP” IN A SAPLING

 

One Christmas Tim and I both got hatchets. What ever possessed our parents to get US something that could be used as a destructive tool is beyond me! We were active in the Boy Scouts then, so maybe they figured we could use them for our camping outings. This theory gathers credibility when I remember that they also gave us camping “Mess Kits” too. Well, as usual, we didn’t always use things the way they were intended to be used, but in this case, we did use the hatchets for at least ONE legitimate thing, welllll, sort of. We went down our pasture lane and started to cut small trees down to “try out” the swell new hatchets. There was, as usual, one small “twist” to this otherwise worthwhile and constructive project. Before Tim would cut each small tree down, I would climb up it as far as I as could go. Then Tim would start to chop the tree with me in it! At the crucial time, Tim would yell “Timberrrrr”, and both the tree and me would fall down to the ground! We cut several trees down using this method. Why, you ask, did I climb up a tree and then fall to the ground with it after being chopped down? Why not? Just because I could, I guess. Hey, I don’t have a reasonable explanation either. Such is the way I thought back then! In this case, probably the best course of action is to just “leave” well enough alone and “branch” out to other endevours!