Good times, bad times

I've had an up and down weekend. Big upper on Saturday. Big downer on Sunday. And I am really sour about that. Definitely not a happy camper.

First, I did, indeed get my car back on Friday (late afternoon, not in the morning) and covered a football game that night. I had another game Saturday, right in town. It was Homecoming, and the weather was picture-perfect: hardly a cloud anywhere, only a light breeze and temperatures in the low 50s.

I had a little lunch at home before leaving for the game because they had a brat feed near the entrance for the game. I got a brat, a tiny bag of Cheetos and a cup of root beer. Nearby, they were selling tickets for a drawing--a fund-raiser to buy new playground equipment at the park. The stuff they have now is really old. Some of the pieces are identical to the slides and monkey bars that were in the park in the Milwaukee suburb where I was growing up. (I really should get some pictures, and maybe I will pretty soon.)

I didn't get a ticket then--my hands were full, and I wanted to think over whether I wanted to pop for the $5 donation. But the brat tasted good, the Cheetos were put away for later, and I decided I could spare a fiver. Didn't even have to fill in the stub--they wrote my name and phone number. Everyone knows me there, after all.

Anyway, off to the game. Perfect football picture-taking weather. Our team led 18-14 at halftime. Then all the festivities for halftime: the parade of class floats. The introduction of the Homecoming court. And the announcement of the king and queen, with a long break for pictures.

Back to the game. The other team scored during the third quarter and went ahead 20-18--we stopped the two-point run. Two plays after the kickoff, our team scores to go back ahead, and the defense must have been inspired--they held the other guys without a first down on consecutive possessions.

The third quarter was nearly over, and I was on the sidelines, scribbling notes in my reporter's notebook, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was one of the guys from the Booster Club. About that ticket I bought in the drawing. It won. First prize. $500.

Woo-hoooo!

Well, I'm not very demonstrative, regardless of whether the news is good or bad. But I pumped my fists in the air when they announced it over the PA system a few minutes later. Our team scored a late touchdown, won 30-20, and has qualified for the state playoffs.

The guy from the booster club called me at home that night and asked what they should do with the check--mail it or drop it off at my office. I told them to write up a check for $250 and put it in the mail. The rest can go for the new playground stuff. I did want to make a donation, after all.

Saturday night, my wife and I went for a pizza in town. It was ... OK, I guess. Not even close to the quality of the pizzas they had at the Happy Italian's. [URL="http://drdog.efx2blogs.com/5164/Saturday+afternoon+disaster.html"]Remember last December?[/URL] I sure do.

Anyway, Sunday morning I walked to the office to work on my football stories. Nothing out of the ordinary until around noon, when I was leaving. I always check the front door to make sure I locked it when I entered. I had.

But while I was there, I glanced across the street and saw two men near the big maple tree across the street. One had climbed a ladder and was about 12 feet in the air. It wasn't clear what he was doing. I had a bad feeling about it, but I was satisfied just to glare daggers in their direction.

This is a lovely tree, located just across the street from our office. In winter, when the wind is blowing out of the northwest, its naked branches shiver just the way you do. In March, you see a fuzzy shade of green in its branches, and you know that it's almost spring. In summer, it's a home for birds of many species, who find places to build their nests and raise their families among its deep green leaves. And in fall, it's spectacular, as the leaves turn to yellow, bright orange and red ...

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Maple92001-9-01.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Maple92501-9-01.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Maple93001-9-01.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Maple100201-10-01.jpg[/IMG]

It was always a great show.

It [I]was[/I]. Because just before 1 p.m., while I was watching the Packers game on TV, I heard a distant thump outside. A few minutes later, I stepped outside to see what had happened. Here is what I saw ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Mapledown-10-07.jpg[/IMG]

Mr. Chainsaw was having a great time, revving his saw and chopping off branches. Meanwhile, my heart was sinking, and I muttered every obscenity I could think of. I've been in a bad mood ever since. Not snarling at people. That's not my way. I just stay very quiet and want to be by myself. Yeah--internalize it.

After dark tonight, I went out to view the body ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Mapleflash-10-07.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Maplestump-10-07.jpg[/IMG]

Yeah, I had good luck this weekend. I won $500, and I'm keeping $250.

Tell me where I can send the check to bring that tree back.