A wood score from an ex-NFL lineman? Who would've ever imagined that?

[PA. Woodsman]

A few weeks ago a friend of the owner of the company I work for was hired on to work in the Real Estate department (I work in shipping...you know, grunt work!) and his name is Joe Wolf who played offensive lineman for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals some years back. Today he asked me "do you burn firewood?" as I guess the secret has been out for some time now, and he proceeded to tell me of a HUGE (like him!) branch that fell off one of his Walnut trees at his house; he's telling me this thing must be about 80 feet long (we'll see), but too gnarly to use as woodwork, that he doesn't burn wood and if he does he has plenty, his wife just wants it out of there so in the very near future it looks like I'll most likely score some wood from an ex-NFL player. Howzabout THEM apples?!

 

[infinitymike]

touchdown!

 

[Dix]

Brings new meaning to the term "score

 

[glennm]

When will you tackle it ;-)

 

[Jags]

Hail Mary.

 

[johneh]

Just don't fumble

 

[PA. Woodsman]

When will you tackle it ;-)

I finally got the okay from Joe to get over there last night and get started. His (huge) yard was so soft from all the rain that I actually dug some tire tracks up when I tried to stop the Bronco going down a slight hill; I apologized and he said "don't worry about it, it'll grow back, it's wet out you can't help it" so I dodged that bullet This was a huge 60' branch that cracked off this Walnut tree, but it was still holding on the tree where it cracked about 13 feet up, but I just kept cutting and using a wedge and undercutting our way up it in hopes that it would crack off and fall, but it hung on for dear life! Then Joe-all 6' 6" 280 lbs.of him-starts to push and pull on this roughly 9' section that was still hanging on, pushing and swaying it back and forth like he was pushing a tackling dummy...I said "you feel like you're back in training camp!" as this was a sight to behold, watching this huge man wrestle this huge section of heavy, wet Walnut. He eventually got it down with the saw on the end of my limb trimmer which I brought along in hopes that it would work so I didn't have to lean a ladder against the tree on a slope as that could've been disaster, and I got 45 nice pieces of Walnut and he got a mess cleaned up. I even suggested that maybe I could just "stand on your shoulders" to reach it, but it all worked out. But seeing him physically do something like that was something I'll probably never forget!

He then told me that I could also cut another monster section of Walnut that looks like it fell but didn't, it's actually growing down and laying on the ground but still alive, but he said "I'm tired of cutting grass around it". I told him maybe a friend of mine down the alley would take it as I'm getting low on room to store wood, but someone will take it as I'm AFRAID TO SAY NO!