damaged tree limbs due to irma finally cleared

Irma hit Orlando around 11 September, over a month ago. Fortunately for the my home and the area around it, the worst that happened was a power outage for about a day, and a lot of downed tree limbs. The limbs were large enough to require cutting up with a chain saw, and one tree was nearly destroyed it lost so many limbs. After dragging everything to the front and cutting it up with a chain saw I had a huge pile that sat in front of my house. There were equally huge piles throughout the neighborhood along every street.

Today, on a Sunday, a crew came by with an articulated claw and finally picked everything up. I say finally, but I also have to say how grateful I am that this crew, out of an uncounted number working through Orange county and central Florida, came by to finally pick up the damaged tree material. I spoke a few moments with the crew, and found out they’d been working seven days/week, starting in late August after Harvey hit Texas and especially Houston.

All that’s left now is some weedy grass that needs cutting and leftover trash that needs to be raked and bagged for the “regular” pickup.

Again, I’m thankful that nothing truly terrible happened with Irma, and grateful for finally getting the last vestiges of this cleared away.

pulse aftermath – day 219

It’s been 219 days since the Pulse Nightclub shootings on 12 June 2016 when 49 innocent people were slain by a demented religious nut. I drove past today because, in part, it was MLK Day. There’s a community core that won’t forget. I certainly won’t. No one deserved to suffer and die the way they did.

Earlier today news reports were published that the FBI arrested Noor Salman, wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen. She’ll be headed back to Florida on charges of obstructing justice and aiding and abetting the attempted provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organization. I’ll wait to read all the material facts of the case; in my opinion, the FBI isn’t the best law enforcement organization, especially after Comey’s incompetent handling of the non-existent Clinton e-mail evidence right at the end of the general election.