We did not escape Frankenstorm unmolested. The morning after, a fifteen foot Leland Cypress was listing starboard at a 45 degree angle
against our fence. It hadn't toppled over…yet.
After Mama Wordbones and I conducted an amateur arborist triage we determined we needed a rope and a sturdy stake to stabilize the patient. We had rope but
nothing in our stake inventory was suitable for a tree this size. We went to
Home Depot…and then Lowes…neither of which carried the serious business stake we were
looking for. Mama Wordbones suggested Southern States would have what we
needed. They did. Mama Wordbones is a former country girl and country people
know all about Southern States.
The stake and rope were sufficient to shore up the tree but
to straighten her out we needed more muscle. At this point, my early life as a
groundskeeper at Merriweather Post Pavilion came back into focus. It was in
that point in my life that I learned about a tool called a come-along. “We
need a come-along,” I declared.
At first I thought we could rent one. I mean this isn't a tool you use everyday. It could be years before we’ll have a need for it again.
Well, I found out yesterday that you can’t rent one, not at ABC Rental in Columbia anyway. I headed over to Home Depot.
“I’m looking for a come-along,” I said to the guy in the tool
department. He looked at me like I had two heads. I gave him a decidedly
non technical description of the device and he told me to
wait while he found an older guy to deal with me. As I awaited his return I
played around with this Rigid heavy duty boom box. A guy wearing a black Rigid
jacket comes up and asks if I have any questions about the boom box. “No
really, what I really want is a come-along.”
He took me right to them. A one ton come-along cost $31.76.
That seemed very reasonable to me.
It worked like a charm too. Once we got it properly rigged
to the tree it was easy street to an upright tree. I just cranked that big boy right back into place.
It turns that the proper name for this tool is also called a cable puller.
To me it will forever be a come-along, one of the best tools around.
