I received two notices in the mail yesterday. One was from the electric company. The other was from the telephone company. They both told me that the large evergreen tree in my front yard would have to be taken down. The electric company said that the tree was a hazard to the power lines. The telephone company said that the tree was a hazard to the telephone lines. Both letters gave me until the end of the month to remove the tree. At my expense.
I got three estimates from tree removal companies. They ranged from $800 to $1,500. I can’t afford that. So I contacted the electric company and the telephone company and said that if they want that tree down, they have to take it down themselves.
The electric company threatened to shut down my electricity if I didn’t comply. The telephone company threatened to shut down my phone service if I didn’t comply.
It’s a good thing I put in a whole house generator a few years back and that I no longer have a landline because I use my cell phone exclusively.
So too bad, so sad, electric and telephone company. You want that tree gone? Do it yourselves.
Written for Cyranny’s One Minute Fiction prompt. Photo credit: Cyranny.
When Charlie saw the large county truck pull up to his house, he ran outside, planted himself in front of the large, old tree, and shouted, “No!”
This, That, and the Other 