Because I only chronicled three days, (in too excruciating detail, sorry) of my picturesque portrait of a VT Christmas I excluded the tree part. Ah, yes....choosing and cutting down a tree. How terribly postcard, non? Snow, sun, smiling faces, snow shoes, hot chocolate and biscotti in the woods. You get the idea. Lovely. Christmas in rural VT at its most glorious.
Sure.
No real snow. No snowshoes. No walking. 4 people and a chain saw, none of those people being me, head across an early winter field in an old, rusting, should-be-put-to-rest dark greed Subaru wagon; the VT state car, for those who didn't know. The car returns some time later (we have already become acquainted with me and time, haven't we?), tree falling off one side of the roof, not quite dragging on the ground, but almost, with one person in residence, thankfully the driver. It seems the other three bailed, leaving the driver with only the chainsaw as passenger. Loyal, those chainsaws. Why the abandonment of tree, driver, chainsaw and car? Did the annual argument over the tree get ugly? No, not that. That came later. The car caught on fire. Yep, on fire. Really. Smoking car, everyone jumped out saying they wouldn't ride in that "death trap." A bit of an overstatement, don't you think? Alarmists.
After all, when the driver looked under the car (why?) there were just a few flames shooting out. Few enough that he extinguished them by throwing snow from a small residual snow patch on the underside of the car and continued on, bearing the tree. Well, barely bearing. The 3 bailers arrived on foot about a half hour later, all unscathed, so where was the issue?
Epilogue: The car was deemed so okay that it was driven to a friend's house later that day, a task it performed without incident. Sadly, rounding a corner on the way back it failed, with neither drama nor flames. Fortunately a-friend-with-a-truck came by, attached a chain and pulled green subie home and deposited it in the #1 driveway spot where it remains. VT yard art.
Post epilogue: Diagnosis--out of gas.
Sure.
No real snow. No snowshoes. No walking. 4 people and a chain saw, none of those people being me, head across an early winter field in an old, rusting, should-be-put-to-rest dark greed Subaru wagon; the VT state car, for those who didn't know. The car returns some time later (we have already become acquainted with me and time, haven't we?), tree falling off one side of the roof, not quite dragging on the ground, but almost, with one person in residence, thankfully the driver. It seems the other three bailed, leaving the driver with only the chainsaw as passenger. Loyal, those chainsaws. Why the abandonment of tree, driver, chainsaw and car? Did the annual argument over the tree get ugly? No, not that. That came later. The car caught on fire. Yep, on fire. Really. Smoking car, everyone jumped out saying they wouldn't ride in that "death trap." A bit of an overstatement, don't you think? Alarmists.
After all, when the driver looked under the car (why?) there were just a few flames shooting out. Few enough that he extinguished them by throwing snow from a small residual snow patch on the underside of the car and continued on, bearing the tree. Well, barely bearing. The 3 bailers arrived on foot about a half hour later, all unscathed, so where was the issue?
Epilogue: The car was deemed so okay that it was driven to a friend's house later that day, a task it performed without incident. Sadly, rounding a corner on the way back it failed, with neither drama nor flames. Fortunately a-friend-with-a-truck came by, attached a chain and pulled green subie home and deposited it in the #1 driveway spot where it remains. VT yard art.
Post epilogue: Diagnosis--out of gas.
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