The title for this week is from a song by Jimmy Buffett, but I understand the last mango part even if the song said Paris. We once had two majestic mango trees in our front yard when we purchased the land in the 90’s. I left instructions that our driveway and gate was be put in the middle to save both the trees.
I came home from sea and found one tree gone and the car port was now on the right hand side of the land where the missing tree used to be. I’ll assume my idea would not have worked for some odd reason.
But I do remember warm afternoons sitting under the remaining mango sheltered in shade with a cooling breeze, a cold stubby brown bottle of San Miguel (Or Boat Drink) in my hand and friends to share those times with me. Hmmm Cold beer!
We went quite a few years with only the edges of any typhoons hitting our area, and every year at the start of the monsoon season Mayang would have the front of the tree closest to the electric wires trimmed and that was fine with me.
Then we had a real typhoon a few years ago and branches of the mango tree actually brushed the front of the house. The following day the poor tree was almost trimmed Kalbo. But in the course of time it grew back, but was trimmed again, and again. Then during the famous 16 July 2014 typhoon some of the top branches broke off and damaged absolutely nothing. But once more the tree had to be punished and trimmed down to the nub.
I gave that a Pinoy shrug and thought; “It will grow out again”. Mayang took me out for lunch and cocktails with friends and while I was consuming “Boat Drinks” oblivious to what was going on, the crew arrive back at the house and proceeded to remove the offending tree once and for all. My friends were not part of this ruse, albeit their wives might have been. Damn those “Boat Drinks.”
It was gone, sawed into over sided logs that were scattered around my front yard. They were way too heavy to be lifted and carried away by the crew. But there stood one lone guy with an ax whacking away at the stump. I’m both over-served and very angry, but I refrained from saying anything to anyone at that time, as words once spoken in anger (And alcohol) can never be un-said.
After trimming and removing the tree with hand saws and Bolo knives the day before, Kuya chain saw guy arrives to break up the logs that are too heavy to lift and carry away. Am I the only person who sees the odd logic in this way of tree removal? I would have had Kuya chainsaw guy, start and finish the job. Then I realized that the other members of the crew would have been unemployed or Supernumeraries as we called them in the Navy, and we could never allow that. (Family is involved.)
A news flash: (In Roosevelt Barangay, check the rule in yours) the Chainsaw operator must have a Barangay official present to insure that no illegal logging was going on in my front yard.
I wondered if that was my old chainsaw that I brought to the Philippines in 1999 and found out it was illegal to own one. But then it was borrowed by a relative and never returned. Problem solved!
So as I look back and lament the passing of my old drinking spot, I remembered that I still had a Mancave in the backyard that even Mayang can’t trim.
Now for my secret, that I’ll never reveal to the tree killers, if you take an auger bit and drill holes into the stump, fill them with salt you will kill the root system and in six months the stump will have ratted away. I’ll let them labor over that stump even though I’m the one to be paying them. Well again, they are family.
It is a wise man who learns what is worth exploding over and what is worth ignoring. Makes married life so much easier. 🙂
Tom;
It was found that due to my many useless smacking my head against the wall moments in the Navy, and due to fast uncensored comments out of my mouth, which contributed to my lack of promotion in the first couple of years on active duty.
I self taught myself to hold back, think about the side effects or consequences of my actions or words before I lash out. That past training has served me well with my wife. As the following day I said nothing about what had happened, as it was far too late to fix what had already been done. Later I had a nice cold beer and moved on with my life.
Being smart, is knowing the tomato is a fruit. Being wise is never putting it into a fruit salad
Greetings from Taunton, Massachusetts. “Being smart, is knowing the tomato is a fruit. Being wise is never putting it into a fruit salad”.. I love that. You’re a real salt, Senior Chief. 🙂
Jose;
I spent a year in Taunton one weekend. (Just joking)
When visiting your friends and they drag you out back to see their vegetable garden, ask them why they have fruit growing alongside them. Because there will be tomatoes.
“man has two ears and one mouth” but it takes getting older to learn this. LOL I know my wife has helped me with this, when she sees me getting ready to explode, I will feel her hand grasp my arm and I remember this.
James;
A wise woman indeed, but in my case it was my wife that would have caught the brunt of my anger. But since she forgives my trespasses, I must act in kind. She did bring me a cold beer, how could I stay angry after that? (lol)
My wife overlooks my shortcomings many times.
James;
You are truly a blessed man.
Then she brings me a glass lf wine and says ”just be quiet” lol
Then we laugh at each other.
I am sorry about your tree. I am glad that you said something about chainsaws being illegal. I was actually looking at getting one for shipping over. You saved me some heart ache later on.
GaryM;
When my chainsaw arrived you would have thought I was bringing in an AR-15 fully auto into the purok. Heck no one told me. (There was no LiP back then)
With the fertile soil there, you can plant a new tree of some sort, and it will grow fast. My wife tells me, rubber trees, will be the next big money crop there, maybe it will be, who knows, certainly not me.
Chainsaws are illegal to own there? With some of the oddball things I will be bringing, who knows how many laws I may break, just by moving there alone.
Bill S;
Aside from the discovery channel I’ve never seen a Rubber Tree, but I’ll bet the locals have never seen a Maple Tree, so we’d be even. I don’t think there are any more trees in my future. She is looking hard at the palm in the back yard. Yeah you never know what laws are on the books so it’s a bit of a crapshoot. The chainsaw was my only infraction.
Hi Paul,
Good story! Yeah it probably would be a bad idea to yell at a guy holding an ax when your under the influence of “Demon Alcohol”!
Jay;
Great point about the axe and making him mad, but those guys were hired by the wife and had done no wrong. (LOL) BTW “Demon Alcohol” just what are you drinking??? (lol)
Hi Paul,
I would yell at the guy with the ax before I would yell at my wife, but I lack your intestinal fortitude!
Your wife obviously learned somewhere that is easier to get forgiveness than permission from somewhere. “Demon Alcohol” is a hold over from my Southern Baptist roots. I was seeing how you would react to it. I love mangoes so I am sorry for your loss. Enjoyed your post!
Jay;
Me yell at my wife, I plan on getting a lot older!!!
GOOD CHOICE PAUL, LOL!
Paul,
All you can do like you said is just shrug your shoulders. Thats another thing that makes living here unique. No use raising the BP.
Papaduck;
Very true I must watch my BP; if it goes up at all it will be because of salt on my Bubba Burger, not me losing my temper.
Paul – I’m grateful for your posting – if for no other reason that it served to remove that huge picture of bloody ox balls from the top of the home page! But there were a few life lessons worth noting in there too.
Condolences on loosing the battle and congrats on winning the war.
John Weeks;
I’m glad it served that purpose also, I had no idea what I was looking at in the picture of food, but I did instantly know I’d not be eating that anytime soon.
Paul sorry about the trees, I know how u feel
Luke Tyman;
So you have lost a tree too? Building a Mancave is the only answer to sorrow of that magnitude.(lol)
Paul – I keep looking at the picture of the trimmed mango tree before they completely killed it, and I keep seeing a tree house on its remaining branches built especially for the lil dude before he leaves for Hawaii. 🙂
John Reyes;
As if my daughter would let the boy climb a tree, she is on a one woman race to wooseify him, but I thwart her at every turn. My son-in-law moved to Florida for a better job and lower cost of living, and agrees with the Lolo. HE’S A LITTLE BOY, doing what nature meant him to do.
morning bob from here, can i share this topic to my timeline?
Marga Lemai Marga Lemai;
I’m sure Bob would say yes, he’s a good guy.
Hi Paul: I salute your restraint. You have an admirable spirit!
Roselyn;
Also I’m a firm believer in “Picking Your Battles” my 20 plus years in the Navy taught me that.
Don’t know how illegal a chain saw is here in the Philippines but I own 3 of them and use them from time to time here on my farm. Just saying.
Pastor Bud;
It is like most laws; they are on the books, waiting for someone to enforce them. What store in the Philippines did you purchase the chainsaws from?
Sorry bout the tree Paul but I can suggest that you buy marcoted (sorry think spelling is wrong…lol) mango seedlings that dont grow so big and can be fruit bearing in 5 to 7 years. Was able to buy Florida mango seedling in CDO and planted it in my mom’s ancestral home in Paranaque. In 6 years time, it started to bear fruits and still do up to now. You can get different varieties in nurseries and am sure you will find one to replace your last tree. 😉
Ike De Leon;
This was my last foray in to the world of trees, as a guy who has spent his life at sea I enjoyed my tree for many years. Your idea is a good one and I would recommend that tree to my wife and see what she says. Other than that I’ll be in the Mancave. But thank you for the alternative idea.
Sorry to hear that your Boat Drink shade has been removed.
Greg;
I still have a covered mancave, I’ll be alright.(lol)
“Now for my secret, that I’ll never reveal to the tree killers, if you take an auger bit and drill holes into the stump, fill them with salt you will kill the root system and in six months the stump will have ratted away. ”
LOL Paul, For all we know, your tree killers may already have known your secret through LiP. Word gets around, you know, about the Kano in barangay Roosevelt who writes for LiP. But they don’t want to wait six months for the stump to die. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day they bring in a carabao or two in your front yard, attach a rope to the carabao and the stump, and in 6 minutes, the stump is gone. Question is, would Mayang be receptive to the idea of two carabaos trampling around in your front yard and leaving carabao dungs all over the place? They are good as fertilizers, though. if Mayang has a garden out back. 🙂
John;
Carabao wandering around my front yard would be a difficult thing to happen as the gate to that area is quite narrow. Die to a brother-in-laws mis-measuring years ago. But my grandson who is a feared of stuff elephants, is fascinated by Carabao. Go figure that?
LOL Paul, looks like you are P whipped but that’s ok! A GOOD WOMAN is hard to find and a little whipping does’nt hurt as long as both partners agree!
Sounds to ME that you have the perfect marriage!