February 4

Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

Feb 11

Yo. Thought I better touch base. I’ve been immersed in FORESTER(rebel word). Trying to edit and finish long hours. Did a little landscaping this week, lots o pruning for next week. I guess Valentine Massacre is called off, I really forgot about it, never got anything together. Sorry. I’ll try to make everything else. Craig Dunbar turns forty Saturday. Hope you enjoy the new pictures, I realize they take awhile to load, I’m working on a new format that will ease that wait.

Feb 15

Tired. Frazzled. Large oaks over a house and damnable wind beat at me all morning. Bright sun and seventy degrees just wore me down. The worst is over, but another big day tomorrow will put us over the hump. Watching hawks, crows, and woodpeckers get wild all morning on Navajo Lake. In addition to two large post oaks and a red oak, I cleaned up numerous peach, apple, crabapple and crepe myrtle(rebel tree care—services offered). Chilling now at the cribbage. Rudy broke down so jammed on one of my mountain bikes.

Feb 18

Beautiful crisp dawn here in Highland Arkansas. I feel good, easy finish to another quality Rebel Tree Care job ahead. Yesterday I pruned a red oak, three post oaks, a dogwood, maple, flowering crabapple, loblolly pine, pecan, crepe myrtle, and probably more. Rudy cleaned it up. Wonderful lady on Lake Navajo, Cherokee Village, Rita works her ass off every morning managing Timberline restaurant here in Highland, then in the afternoon you might see her hustling tables at her son’s pizza place, Stooges. Wonderful woman for this community.

Feb 21

Horrible night of sudden and brief thunderstorms. Horrible because my hero Hunter Thompson was found dead of a supposed suicide. I’ve read several of his books since back in the early eighties, his type of journalism you might find infused into my stuff(rebel word). I don’t want to get political here, but a certain group of people probably hated him, and let’s just say I doubt his death was a suicide.

Worked on websites with Mike Gray(erosion—live music), my brother in law of thirty years. We’ve been fixing links and editing. His new band members are really sound. http://www.petalsandlaceonline.com/ http://themikegrayband.expage.com/themikegrayband/

Feb 22

I have a kitten. Shelbi named it Blueberry. Teaching Slade to shoot a jumper. I was taught by one of the best ever. Jim Haney was my junior high coach, he led Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in scoring(as a guard) for three years in the sixties. The best athlete inch for inch in the NBA? Alan Iverson, he puts up numbers men a foot taller can’t match. A human pinball machine, so much fun to watch.

Planting and mulching tomorrow. (Rebel Tree Care—services offered). Also combing to lakefront lots. No climbing. Nice for a change. Rudy better give me some effort. Nuff said.

Feb 26

Rudy sux. He’s history. I hope you read this Rudy: you’re fired. Good luck scratching out a living, owning your own couch. Panadox visuals for FIREBOX and THIRTY2LIFE at Salem Moose tonight. A special video I made just for Charmane will be fun to watch.

Feb 27

1 am. Killer originals at Salem Moose. Thirty2Life opened up with hard edge melodies, looking forward to Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock. FireBox jammed! Panadox visuals went well. Really well. Kenny rocked before and after. I’d like to see what he could do with my stuff(Erosion). I just got pulled over in Ash Flat, but he was cool, didn’t hassle me.I had this special video for FireBox, all these goddess scenes and a little tye die stuff and waterfalls. Cool. Tomorrow it’s family dinner at mom’s, and Tami and I are off to catch trout(river adventures).

February 3, 2005

Whew! Good mountain biking here in Memphis. Yesterday Rudy and I parked on Beale, and after ribs and stuffed mushrooms at Blues City Café, we rode over to Mud Island and Steam Town, checking for possible canoe take out spots and developing a plan for Wolf River Blues. If the cruisers are hearty enough, we can slip down to what I call absolute Beale, actually end the trip at Riverside and Beale. We’ll have to park on the sidewalk for a few minutes, and this won’t be an option festival weekend, that weekend we’ll put out at the coast guard ramp under the I40 bridge. We shot pool at Jillians, and Flashbacks, I didn’t make Stage Stop, my truck had problems, but I sure missed that rush, please, Anita, don’t stop having these open shows.

Today we rode Sycamore View to Grinder/Haisplip, and Summer to Robert Green landscaping design, customers and aquantances. IHOP fueled us. Lined up Tony Porter, legendary running back, to help Trim two oaks in Midtown Friday. Fletcher creek is rocking, the Wolf River is swollen, and the Mississippi, though dropping steadily now, is much higher than normal.

Rudy got Pyramid security in a tizzy when he popped a wheely into Mike Tyson’s limo, postphoning the heavyweight championship fight over an hour. Then he got in a scrape with Jesse James and Mick Mars at Hard Rock Café. He’s taking a nap now, mountain biking makes him cranky. I told him be glad I didn’t take him down the north trail along Wolf River, you end up in prison or worse. I always buzz the ducks at the junior college, it’s fun to scare them into clumsy flight. Bought Tami a cool shirt from FreeWheelin’ Franks.

Rudini. He can get out of anything. Was gonna be the first red headed pope. Rudy was coach of the Lakers until yesterday. Now maybe he can go back to being the mayor of New York. The only tree trimmer guy I’ve ever known that flosses. Rudy has a green Queen Helene Mint Julep facial mask on right now.

Cleveland vs. Heat. Lebron and Shaq. I finally saw Wade play the other day, incredible. Number Three for the Miami Heat is a child of destiny and truth. I might as well get a Miami Heat jersey now because the dynsty is begun. I hope Shaq only gets two more in his career, that way my man Scotty Pippen will still be at the top of the list. I played a game one time ran by Scotty’s brother Jimmy in North little rock around 88, probably the highest level I’ve ever played at, except many UALR early summer games. I played Pete Meyers every day for a month, he went on to play with the Chicago Bulls, guarding Michael Jordan in practice for years. He started the season Mike retired. A lot of people don’t realize something. When Michael Jordan retired, Scotty and the others took the New York knicks to seven games in the playoffs. The knick then went Seven games, losing to Houston. The Bulls were basically a couple of late game breaks from another championship without Michael. Think about it.That gives Scotty and the others a little more cred in my book.

A wade slam and Doliak block end the first quarter with flourish. I bet Eddie Jones wants it bad. I think he shipped out of L.A. just before the dynasty started. The best player I almost got to play against in a real game would have been Michael Cage. I think West Memphis was like nninety and one or some shit with him and Kieth Lee, and others. We one the loser division of the Northeast Arkansas tournamentm and they won the upper, but no over all. We averaged six feet any way, they averaged six six at least, Cage led the NBA in rebounding several years. Jay Hansen did the best I’ve ever seen one night, we needed three points to tie, with no three point shot those days, so Jay took the ball the length of the court, where two guys were gonna high five each other with one second left at about twenty feet, Jay came up between them, and forced a foul, swishing the jump shot cleanly, hitting the free throw with no time on the clock, then winning in overtime.

I drew on the experience of seeing West Memphis play live. I think they had one white guy, medium height, six six, guards six four and two seven footers. They expended so much energy just distracting. Leaping and darting in seemingly nonsensical random chaos, but when opposing point guards became absorbed in some dramatic leap, others defensive players altered passes and tipped dribbles away. Five guys on board, cleaning up their territories and helping clean up team mates corners. All five guys watching four other back doors. I’ve seen this when the Arkansas Razorbacks were so good. And of course the Bulls in championship seasons. My hero was Sydney Moncrief, I learned more about playing the game in neiborhoods where Sydney grew up. Henderson Junior high was quality hoops usually I was the Lone white guy in six full court games and the surrounding hoopla. I remember guarding U.S. Reed in games at Reservoir Park and Holy Souls. Me and U.S. were cool, I don’t think we ever spoke to each other except in greeting or "my Bad," except for once at Macdonald’s in Fayetteville. U.S. Reed, six foot center, incredible athlete, hit a forty nine foot jumper at the buzzer to knock Louisville Cardinals from the NCAA tournmament that year. I partied alongside Scott Hastings, by a strange technicality the highest paid pro player per minute ever.

Highland provided excellent competition. Point guard Adam Hensley and former UCA guard Robbie Davis. David Brogden would go one to lead his college team I believe four years. Terry Cormican proved his mettle in college, Jason Rhodes, and several others could go to the next level. These were guys I guarded or battled through various stages of development. Aaron Cormican, rest his soul, wasn’t gifted with the Height of his brother Terry, but shared a tenacious spirit and huge passion for life. AC helped me take second place with a new softball team, and played guard on a couple Rebel Tree Care independent teams.

I was trying to remember all the teams I’ve played on: Binz Iron, Ozark outdoor supply, Clarksville Gun and Rod, Little Rock Business, (the Cabaret on Cavenaugh was a major sponsor) Grady Jones(caterpillar) Arkansas college of Technology( the fighting pencil necks), I played for Southern Ford, The Crew, Ivey’s Automotive, The Naturals, Martin’s Furniture, many others either nameless or forgotten.

February 4, 2005

Safe in the hotel before rush hour. Tony jammed. Rudy watches Super Bowl stories non stop. Get this, we hear this incessant squeeking, I’m looking around outside, thinking what is it? In the parking lot is a hatchback full of caged parrots. Probably in for the night, we’ve partied a little. Two big mid town willow oaks are better off today, not to mention a redbud and two dogwoods. An estimate in Marriana, drop a huge old rotten oak in Moro, then back home to Spring River. Think I’ll jam the mountain bike, Fridays are sick. I think it’d be cool to go to a bar on bikes, hell it may be the solution to DWI problems. Think how quiet and healthful our cities and countrysides would be if half the traffic was bicycle. Sadly China is forsaking tendencies of self propulsion for the gas guzzling American Way. Industrial Hemp could help our planet much, an open minded research convinces anyone of that. The Beef industry could be dismantled over time, softening a continual blow to our midsection.

February 12, 2005

I just watched a bald eagle up close. He was circling, gliding with buzzards near Biggers Bluff just north of Hardy. It was weird, I got out, looked at the incredible view of Spring River, noted a huge log at High Falls, the junction of Spring and South Fork. Though the island might be gone or much smaller from floods, the tree, if it stays around for summer, should provide lounging areas and a canoe dock. Anyway I got back in the van, and thought, I didn’t even check upstream to see how other islands survived, so I turn around in my seat, admiring how nice and undisturbed this one island is, and sweeping across the sky not seventy five yards away was this awesome bald eagle, white head and trimmings. I get out of the van and a rush just consumes me standing there, the bird is disguising himself as a buzzard in a way, imitating their circling and gliding. Other buzzards along the bluffs at different levels make the eagle unobtrusive, it’s an amazing little scam I stumbled into. Don’t ell anyone, fanatics will ruin it Any fanatics could call the EPA on me. Spring River is being raped and savaged. EPA act quickly, mighty mouse is dead. EPA could check all around Hardy, EPA check Warm Fork, clay from a new shopping center was feet away from regular water line last year, we’ll check on Warm Fork Crossing (Journal). Just about anywhere heavy equipment works in a watershed, that’s right, anywhere heavy equipment works, finishing the area by erecting small landscape timber borders and wood chips to contain storm water and stabilize soil runoff. Heavy rains turn the river from green to brown because a construction project let’s orange clay mud escape to fill ditches and cover gravel, the river’s filter, with sediment. Salamanders, the canary in the coal mine for Ozark streams, are all but extinct. In my younger days, weeds could not grow on clean bright gravel bars, now those type shoals are covered in silt soil and invasive weeds. Many fish have boils caused by chemical runoff, fecal matter is proven too high, I personally feel this problem is lessening as Sewer codes take hold. Cattle farms typically pollute rivers through phosphorous in the steroid type cattle feed, this produces phosphorous I understand that creates extra plant life, depriving fish of oxygen, this is a bigger problem in Florida’s tepid Okeefenokee Swamp. Farmers still hold the ideal that they can do whatever the hell they want with land. Riparian zones are constantly attacked, even leaving field stubble an extra six inches high to help filter storm water is rare. People hate government intrusion, but we have given farmers warning, they will not do these things themselves. The United States government should shift it’s focus, instead of Policing our morals and the globe, defending America by bullying smaller countries, arguing over gay rights or flag burning in a restaurant, we should be cleaning up our water. Period.

February 14, 2005

Happy V.D. Geese honk above this midnight. Geezer sure was glad to see me, he’s only human. Thinking about yoga booty ballet. Tami fixed me a seafood orgy, her and her daughter Chelsea got me valentines. I was moved. Kinda weird, this is the first Valentines Day I haven’t helped my sister Debby in like seventeen years. She runs a successful floral and bridal in Jonesboro, Ar, formerly in Pocahontas. Oh well there is always mother’s day. I just had too much tree work to do, it’s rained so much lately I’m behind. Today in Ash Flat I trimmed quite well, 3 maples, 1 pear, 1 cherry, 1 apple, and a pecan over the house. Rudy cleaned it up. I also sprayed the trees, and did some landscaping shapes with the chips. My kind of job, except for all the old stubs that alter my pruning decisions. Probably a real estate guy wanted to sell the house so hired a butcher to "spruce it up." But there was no spruce, there were three maples, a pear, a cherry, an apple and a pecan that needed codes and standards(rebel tree care).

Made it home from Craig Dunbar’s fortieth birthday party. Really fun, lot’s of old friends Rodney my brother was there with his girlfriend Scotty, my sister Debby with her husband Mike and daughter Lauren(erosion—live music). Candy was there. Me and Tami danced to Motley Crue and Santana. I guess Throttle(erosion—live music) is busted up, hope not, but it doesn’t look good. Hope they can be friends. Gotta go, tomorrow’s begins a two day job of tough pruning. Rudy better bring is damn A game. Peace.

March 13, 2005

Alexander conquered me. I don’t want to get into it, but got stupid way out in bumfizzle. If not for a hell raising dune buggy crew I would be hurtin’. Rock Creek sure rumbled, cold and fresh, Spring River quick and serene. I play some powerful shit dammit sometime! I can! I think I’ll be on the radio for the Lawn and garden show April 1 and 2. I was invited to a special meeting at Cherokee Village city hall. Ladies were upset over the needless removal of classic willow oaks. I told the mayor to look into the national Arbor Day foundation, told him they had guidelines for determining hazard trees and doubted the removed trees met the criteria. I told him the species was favorable, ratio of height to shade favorable, and the trees were maturing nicely(there are more in an outer ring). I told him the landscape was designed by a famous architect. I told him The National Arbor day foundation had been around awhile, I also told him with a rap of the table that he should know this, being from Nebraska. I left them some forms to examine. Maybe this will help them get some tree pruning codes in place.

March 15, 2005

Snow falls here in Highland. Campers must be Hardy and hale tonight. Chill breeze swirls thick wafting snow. Geezer tracks roadrunners with mournful bay. A meteor slams the cowfield yonder. Still the motors drone, though mine rests cooling. One cat used up it’s lives, one big brindle bastard chased it. Flat bed doth destroy stray angels. Ever think of the origin of the word treason. Tree son. Robin hood, the merry men. Sherwood Sheraton, to the Hilton, the phsyco circus. Ancient men knew how to prune branches better than us I bet. I just drove turkey pen road, alongside hundreds of pruning cuts prominent. Of say, one hundred cuts, I’d say one to five were standard. You could see where someone sort of knew about collars and standard cuts, and weakly tried, but except in a few lucky instances, either violated standards by slicing away important tissue with a "flush" cut too close to the trunk, angled pointy cuts needlessly prolonging compartmentalization time, or stubs, detrimental to trees in so many ways. Flush cuts and Stub cuts harm a tree. Coupled with disruption of root zone and lack of organic mulches, trees transfer energy from heartwood to battle stress, often this stress progresses to strain, causing the tree to decline over time, and die, or crack and fail. Rebel Tree Care—Serious Business.

March 17, 2005

Listening to Blake Miles band of Memphis. Cool stuff, I saw them live, sat with Anita at the Stage Stop for several hours one Friday night last trip. The Hype and The Fast Mothers are part of that circle, these two bands will be featured at Slick Rock blue Collar Rock. Tesla is playing Memphis in May/ Beale Street Music Festival. I will be there, larger than life, living life large. I hope there is room for me. Watch out Mympho, I’m coming.

March 17b

Warm wonderful day in Horseshoe Bend on the banks of Strawberry River. An old white oak had succumbed to storms and other stresses. Planted two dogwood, two forsythia. Wellness rules, Saturday it’s Strawberry Fields—canoing and fishing. Bradford pears and forsythia are in bloom. Also black locust. Soon peach and redbud will flower, and dogwood blossoms will float in Ozark understory. Purple phlox is a favorite.

March 27,

EXCLUSI VE!! Killer camp spots available right at Saddler Falls! These are secluded forest circles less than a couple hundred feet from super cool party spots. Mountain bikers could rock this. I can get a group rate, catering and canoing include at nice low price. Rebelriveradventures@rebelriver.com.

March 30,

YoYo ya Know. Hey now. Just got off Spring River.Took a church youth group from Alabama. We started at the low water bridge above Hardy,(Spring River Valley, formerly Camp Kierl, Humphrey’s Ford), shooting and reshooting all the falls, especially high falls, where Spring and Southfork meet. I turned over! Geezer got all wet. I took a cool picture of ten people in the Jacuzzi hole. Full and white capped, Spring River just delivered the goods this afternoon. Awesome.

I have a good crew helping me do trees. We got a dead red oak over a roof down, a cracked post oak by a house, and the usual proper pruning of crepe myrtle, hickory, post oak, redbud(light touch, they’re blooming) cedar, hackberry, etc. We’ve been getting a lot of work done, Friday and Saturday is the Lawn and Garden show at the fairgrounds, I’ll have a booth, sitting and playing my bass. I may be on the radio!

Come on out to Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock! Visuals are readying well, Panadox will be on the porch! We will make a ten chainsaw salute to STIFF. Bring it people! Get her the hell done! Peace.

April 3, 2005

Awesome day At Slick Rock! Basketball volleyball, Frisbee, volley basketball, hacky volleys Frisbee basketball, I think Danny is removing the horshoe stakes, White water knee boarding could be tried, canoing of course, probably some kayaks, some flat bottom boats, some waders and fishing. You can canoe right up beside the stage. Friday and Saturday canoers will end their journey forty feet from the bands. Sunday we’ll canoe to Hardy. This will so rock.

Panadox projection will be stunning, above the stage is lounge deck I can put triple screens, projection from above will be visible for a ways, live shots and my own waterffallsa nd colors will dance. Bands will have plenty of volume. Nice campsites ar scattered out beyond camping or parking fields. Ten dollars Admission for everyone except musicians on the bill will be expected.

HERE IS A ROUGH DRAFT OF THE LINEUP: STILL SUBJECT TO SOME CHANGE:

Friday April 15, 2005

6 FireBox

7 VisionTongue

8 Stiff

9 30 2 life

10 Further Down

11 Dark Embrace

12 Fast Mothers

12 Ryan

1245 Allusive

1 Stiff

2 VisionTongue

3 Dark Embrace

4 30 2 life

5 The Hype

6 Fast Mothers

7 FireBox

8 Mike Gray/El Buho

After dark shows will feature Panadox projections, half of each show will be live zooms of each band member or unique shots Ridge and I get. The other half will be band banners and logos or homemade crazy colors and bouncing white water. Some bands might be considered hard core, aggressive metal, but a certain decorum of language and manners should always exist, even in a mosh pit. Please bands, keep it under the radar for us country folks and younger music lovers.

Ending the day over on Strawberry was nice. Tami is afraid of heights, and we went to what I call the crossbow parapets, where I think ancient archers docked or fended water borne merchants or invaders. It’s seventy five feet down now, We sat on the edege and watched boaters beached on the huge gravel bar just downstream. Geezer jumped off, gliding like a flying squirrel to chomp a big sucker fish. It nearly drowned him, but he landed it.

The lawn and Garden show went good, Tami helped me hand out cards and flyers about tree care and rebelriver.com cards. I played Bass on the radio! Erosion debuted, no I did it last year too! I’m famous! Yes! Drummers will be proud of the new riser being built at Slick Rock, also I think Ridge and I can record board sound digitally to master a composite video VHS so the sound doesn’t suck. Lot’s of good pruning and culling next week on Southfork River. I may take a swim. Peace.

April 5,

Good work in Cherokee Village combing a riverbank, climbing a massive elm, removing a tall walnut, mulching and chipping. As always, Rebel Tree Care did a hell of a job. The others learn the wrong methods, building careers with daily malpractice, I’ve always done it right. This is not somehow debatable, not one mans opinion. This is national standard. This is the way. Proper pruning. Look into it.

Southfork river felt great on my face. Swollen and swift, twinkling falls and gurgling rock ledges sooth the soul. Rebel River Adventures, Get er done.

This is my life for sixteen years, trimming trees, swimming in white water, and rocking out. Not bad.

March 2, 2005

Beautiful day here in Highland Arkansas. I pruned about a dozen various species oak, some holly and boxwood looking Japanese. Mostly lower branches. Quicky job, but good cuts abound. More landscaping for these folks later. Good friends, we had a beer after the chipping was done. Big tough job coming up soon.

I heard a killdeer. We watched a huge white hawk above Highland today. I dig Highland. Beavis and Butthead tarnished our image for awhile, but they got the Motley Crue job, maybe they’ll show at Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock.

March 3, 2005

Comin’ at ya from Alexander Wilderness Area. Nice little Bike Ride/Hike down the hiking trail. Geezer followed, so I turned around a little sooner than hoped, I probably rode three or four miles of mud and woods. Birds today are freaky, this aggressive hawk was circling a tiny forest imitating a squirrel call. Ducks changed a zig zag pattern in slight curiosity. Crows bathed joyously in a pot hole puddle just off the pavement at Quapaw. Nervous blue jays relayed rattled.

Reclaimation(rebel tree care—services offered) today. Rough lake bank and vines. I was patient, glad in a way to be doing cleanup again. Most helpers never get it, sometimes I need periods like this to reinvent my training process. I always hope my next helper will have the drive to master groundwork, then move to higher paying climbing. Not many have the balls. It’s about bending your knees, losing pride and vanity to focus on getting the job done. Stoop to conquer.

March 4, 2005

Freaky Friday. And I’ve got to work tomorrow. This morning I trimmed a post oak, removed some shrubs, cut some stumps for good folks in Cherokee Village. This afternoon I tackled the blackjack from Hades. Tough ass job, trimming and chipping. Also a big ass post oak. More of the same tomorrow. Good folks, good friends, June and Dino. Cyber shout.

One lady said hold off, she thought I would make too much money on her job. I said I often make double that in a day, but that is beside the point. For sixteen years I’ve operated the same, by a strict code of standards. We’re talking around eleven thousand trees. For sixteen years using ladder and pole saws, every time I lose a job to the chumps it’s the same thing. They spike the tree and lop a few limbs, or force a bucket in and chop what they can reach from the driveway. I have never not done a job to codes and standards, they have never done one job to codes and standards. I work my ass off with ladder and pole saw, the chumps do neither. ANSI. Look into it. Rebel Tree Care—the difference is huge!!!

March 6,

Still trimming on Sunday. Ash, mulberry, flowering crabapple, redbud. Planting magnolia, dogwood, forsythia. Mulch, mulch, mulch.

Final wording for KZLE radio ad tomorrow. Hope further down will play. That would be awesome. Here are some pictures I took at this supercross deal in Jonesboro last night:

March 8, 2005

Good pruning today on the banks of beautiful Southfork river. After a morning pruning juniper, holly, maple and some others, getting way up for red oak. Also chinquapin oak, hackberry, elm, redbud… you get the picture. I wish I had a picture of that river flowing by. Tadpoles squiggled in pools, sand and gravel bars clean and layered. Looks like further down is about to book for Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock!

March 9,

Sitting at Slick Rock thinking about stuff. Bands at this festival are hardworking hard rocking acts. El Buho’s horn toward the end will nudge the genre into fusion with Mike Gray’s hard southern feel. Each of the nine bands will have distinctive sounds. Charmane of Firebox is a special talent. Special thanks to Firebox’s hard driving drummer Catt for hooking so many of these bands up with Rebelriver.com. They are playing Stage Stop in June, something tells me I’ll have some tree work scheduled in Memphis for that week.

Now I’m on Spring River. A bunch of buzzard’s finally decided to take off from this big tree and fly across the river to land in three trees across the river but this side of the railroad tracks. A low flying duck happening by dive bombed one of the last. Crows repositioned, then most buzzards(turkey vultures I think) flew west. I wish I was on my bike, I bet I could make rock creek from LB access in two minutes. And that’s not even warmed up.

Long before this place was an official Arkansas Game and Fish boat ramp I helped pull out a snapping turtle, I forget how big it measured, but the beast snapped a new boat paddle and dented the tubing on a standard fourteen foot john boat. I rode my Hodaka Road Toad motorcycle in the mid seventies, chasing leaping brahma bulls and cows fully wild.

Bamboo stretches south, over at Heart I was disheartened to see logging right to the rivers edge. The methods used were indeed softer than many methods, the impact to South Fork river will be lessened. Increasing these buffer zones, instead of thinning them out would do much to filter storm water before the river receives it.

March 10, 2005

Beautiful day here in Arkansas. I set up some raised beds and planted five blue rug junipers and an almond(rebel tree care—services offered) on a steep yard in Cherokee Village. Things seem to be coming together nicely for Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock. This will be a cooler friendly event, but we can’t say that on the radio. I shot some good video of a no video cameras allowed sign. Getting ready to post flyers and a new map. Got some doqwoods, magnolia, and forsithia to plant. Peace.

February 4, 2005

February 3, 2005

Today we rode Sycamore View to Grinder/Haislip, and Summer to Robert Green landscaping design, customers and acquaintances. IHOP fueled us. Lined up Tony Porter, legendary running back, to help Trim two oaks in Midtown Friday. Fletcher creek is rocking, the Wolf River is swollen, and the Mississippi, though dropping steadily now, is much higher than normal.

Cleveland vs. Heat. Lebron and Shaq. I finally saw Wade play the other day, incredible. Number Three for the Miami Heat is a child of destiny and truth. I might as well get a Miami Heat jersey now because the dynasty is begun. I hope Shaq only gets two more in his career, that way my man Scotty Pippen will still be at the top of the list. I played a game one time ran by Scotty’s brother Jimmy in North little rock around 88, probably the highest level I’ve ever played at, except many UALR early summer games. I guarded seven foot Jimmy Lampley and ran with Myron Jackson and Dickey Nutt. I played Pete Meyers every day for a month, he went on to play with the Chicago Bulls, guarding Michael Jordan in practice for years. He started the season Mike retired. A lot of people don’t realize something. When Michael Jordan retired, Scotty and the others took the New York knicks to seven games in the playoffs. The knicks then went Seven games, losing to Houston. The Bulls were basically a couple of late game breaks from another championship without Michael. Think about it.That gives Scotty and the others a little more cred in my book.

A wade slam and Doliak block end the first quarter with flourish. I bet Eddie Jones wants it bad. I think he shipped out of L.A. just before the dynasty started. The best player I almost got to play against in a real game would have been Michael Cage. I think West Memphis was like ninety and one or some shit with him and Kieth Lee, and others. We one the lower division of the Northeast Arkansas tournament and they won the upper, but no over all. We averaged six feet any way, they averaged six six at least, Cage led the NBA in rebounding several years. Jay Hansen did the best I’ve ever seen one night, we needed three points to tie, with no three point shot those days, so Jay took the ball the length of the court, where two guys were gonna high five each other with one second left at about twenty feet, Jay came up between them, and forced a foul, swishing the jump shot cleanly, hitting the free throw with no time on the clock, then winning in overtime.

I drew on the experience of seeing West Memphis play live. I think they had one white guy, medium height, six six, guards six four and two seven footers. They expended so much energy just distracting. Leaping and darting in seemingly nonsensical random chaos, but when opposing point guards became absorbed in some dramatic leap, others defensive players altered passes and tipped dribbles away. Five guys on board, cleaning up their territories and helping clean up team mates corners. All five guys watching four other back doors. I’ve seen this when the Arkansas Razorbacks were so good. And of course the Bulls in championship seasons. My hero was Sydney Moncrief, I learned more about playing the game in niehborhoods where Sydney grew up. Henderson Junior high was quality hoops usually I was the Lone white guy in six full court games and the surrounding hoopla. I remember guarding U.S. Reed in games at Reservoir Park and Holy Souls. Me and U.S. were cool, I don’t think we ever spoke to each other except in greeting or “my Bad,” except for once at Macdonald’s in Fayetteville. U.S. Reed, six foot center, incredible athlete, hit a forty nine foot jumper at the buzzer to knock Louisville Cardinals from the NCAA tournament that year. I partied alongside Scott Hastings, by a strange technicality the highest paid pro player per minute ever.

Highland provided excellent competition. Point guard Adam Hensley and former UCA guard Robbie Davis. David Brogden would go on to lead his college team I believe four years. Terry Cormican proved his mettle in college, Jason Rhodes, and several others could go to the next level. These were guys I guarded or battled through various stages of development. Aaron Cormican, rest his soul, wasn’t gifted with the Height of his brother Terry, but shared a tenacious spirit and huge passion for life. AC helped me take second place with a new softball team, and played guard on a couple of Rebel Tree Care independent teams.

Feb 1, 2005

Hey hey hey hey now. Massive midtown oak much better off tonight. Probably rain tomorrow, says Dave, if I ‘m not mistaken he’s the guy, dave brown, who did magic tricks and showed bugs bunny cartoon on a Sunday morning show I used to watch way back in the mid sixties. I had obstacles, landscaping lights, azaleas, house and chimney to miss, chipping on a busy street with traffic zooming by is always a little stressful. I’m wired up, this tree was huge, one hundred feet, six foot diameter, and now I'm gonna sing at Stage Stop, that gets me racing big time. I won’t sleep too good tonight, even though I’m already dead tired and rush hour is still flying outside. Need to tune up, need a nine volt battery, need Ruby Tuesday’s serious salad bar. Hey, I’m needy, Okay? There, I said it.

January 31,

Another incredible evening on Spring River. Awesome awesome. Fished a little, no success. White water just gives me this primal urge, it’s a trip. This fix will carry me through Memphis. The river sure gets me back.

Sleet this morning made me postphone the trip one day. Tami is at Wal-Mart getting me some food. She’s a hell of a woman. Hell I’m a hell of a man. I’m not conceited I’m just confident. I’m never wrong, just mistaken a lot. I don’t play head games, cause I’m dead f******** serious. Hope to roar tomorrow night at Stage Stop, probably about ten oclock. Here are the words to Cyclops:

Three days out of Jamaica…

Winds begin to howl.

Wings of the storm as my pusher…

Hurricane as my needle…

Come the Cyclops.

Kashmir caviar opium slaves

Merchant money changing masters

Golden fleece…. The willing maidens

So tan with pretty pearls…

Come the Cyclops

Lay waste to the banker table chains!

Soul eater! One eyed Watcher!

Albatross follows the aftermath

Two by fours u joints, and gambling girls!

Come the Cyclops!

January 30, 2005

Got the truck painted! Beautiful primer gray. In a couple of weeks I’ll do it again, and put some huge black white oak leaves. I’m learning how to use my little sprayer, it’s kinda fun! Tomorrow it’s midtown Memphis Tennessee, Rudy and I both are looking forward to this trip. Tuesday it’s east Memphis, then Germantown. Good pruning! I think I’ll leave Geezer, poor guy, hope Tami feeds him.

January 29, 2005

Rain. I thought for awhile it might be snow this morning, but never got quite cold enough. Tami is gone to work, Geezer outside, fires replenished. Need to check and see if the deer are outside, every night there is a big herd of white tailed deer in the cattle field behind my home. All is well here in Highland, Shelbi is over at Mimi’s. Time to paint my truck. Bottom line. I have sandpaper, paint, paint reducer, paint thinner, sprayer, air compressor, fittings. I have a fire going in the shop, I need masking tape and newspaper is all I can think of now. Someday I’ll post my check list of everything I need to trim trees. Got the projector in the shop, horizontal lines across the screen were getting on my nerves. Need to run through my set at OSB studio to sharpen up for Stage Stop. Ridge is bringing congas to SLICK ROCK BLUE COLLAR ROCK. Put some WIDESPREAD vibe in your picnic PANIC.

January 28, 2005

Good pruning for good folks on Lake Vagabond in Ozark Acres. I pruned(to codes and standards(rebel tree care—mission statement, services offered, general contract), a nice white oak and two red oaks. Tying in at about sixty feet on each, generally combing and manicuring the tree of nuisance branches, dead or dying, etc. I’ve many customers in the area, but lost one to the chumps. Next door some trees I trimmed ten years ago have recently been spiked and stubbed. Real estate woman owns it, another bad decision by the firm. Hey, the spikers and stubbers have short hair, that carries more weight than quality work.

Scanning and burning first drafts of FORESTER(rebel word). Ebooks will be available soon. Don’t know what to charge, but I’m thinking it won’t be much. No ink, ribbons, paper, just one cd. I’m thinking five bucks. Still learning how to edit, basically delete the word “the”, and all pronouns. Relentlessly, it’s so simple it’s scary, it’s almost like the don’t use your hands rule in Hacky Sack(river adventures—hacky sack statement). Get rid of “the”, get rid of “they”, get rid of “though”, etc. Almost every sentence can be improved. It’s taken me twenty years to drill this into my own head, but I think I got it now.

Memphis awaits Monday unless it’s raining. Stage Stop had better get ready. Ruby Tuesday salad bar, here I come. Don’t know where Throttle or Mike Gray(Erosion—live music) play this weekend, I do know that I need to do laundry. Peace.

January 26, 2005

Nice windy day. Trimmed an oak I think is from a sprig off the historic oak in Arlington National Cemetery. As usual, I was very careful with cuts. Actually did a drop crotching type cut. This is the sensible way to reduce the height of a tree or change the lean or direction of growth. We also mulched the tree in a “snow cone”(rebel tree care—services offered) to the southwest. Bordered with brick, the area is striking.

Shot some more cool video of Spring River. This will run at camps or music shows, behind bands or between shows. I can’t wait to set the screen up outdoors again, as long as the wind is calm, it’s awesome to sit in shadows camping and watch a big screen video. It’s like a big magic window to TV land. Live feeds from hundreds of feet away are fun. {Panadox). Just having projections running seems to lighten the mood, whether as a focal point or side bar.

Wanted to post a pic of Rudy and Candi canoing. Can’t find it, but boy my trip down memory lane was sweet. In seventy eight I was in ninth grade, and started at shortstop on the senior baseball team for the district championship game. We won, I made nice plays. I caught stringers of fish at Many Islands camp. I’ve never married, but had quite a few beautiful girlfriends. I’ve made few mistakes, changes have come about on my own terms, not mandated by government or merchant restraint(knock on wood).

January 25, 2005

Yo. Tired.(recurring theme) I trimmed today, to codes and standards(rebel tree care—mission statement, services offered, contract) three cedars, three redbuds, post oak, six sequoia(most consider them cypress) two southern magnolia, hickory over a high dollar greenhouse(rebel tree care—insurance certificate), red oak, dogwood, apple, and probably a few more. Rudy cleaned it up. We left a nice pile of chips. Magnolia and cedar smell nice. Noticing new topping nearby, understand, people, topping is bad. Period. This malpractice is against ANSI standard and many many codes and ordinances for good reason, too many reasons to catalogue here. Look into it.

Awesome sunset west of Highland this evening. Hope to go to the High School and see the Rebels play, I hear things. Gerry Moss is playing Copper Feather on Wednesday evenings again, that’s always enjoyable. It’s a different, more laid back show than his work with Throttle(Erosion—Live Music). This blues man is a treasure.

Setting up radio ads today with KZLE 93.1 for Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock. Pizza Hut buffet pretty good. Beats Red Mule. Gearing up for M’fis next week, looking forward to it. Chaio.

January 24

Spring River is awesome right now! My favorite falls here at Rio Vista are rockin’. Surrounded by white water, got some video I may show you if your lucky. Got a huge old white oak removed, honey bees that filled the tree with honey last year have moved off. A full moon is rising over bald hills cleared for new construction in Hardy. A big red tailed hawk didn’t like me here, he went upriver. Wish I had my fishing pole cause I know the walleyes and bass are right there. Geezer likes it here too, he’s a river dog, he just can’t swim that good. Tommorow it’s good pruning on Lake Thunderbird. The Nisbett’s are wonderful customers, one of few people that actually mulch. Sydney understands the great benefit of mulch, she’s a world renowned orchid grower. I wish you could feel the energy now, hear the constant roar and bubbly gurgle. I grew up right here, Spent close to half my life in this neighborhood, I’ve worked for just about every house I can see, many hours swimming and canoing here. Upstream is high falls, where Spring and Southfork meet, another favorite place, downstream is hardy bridge, I leapt from the guard rail as a twenty year old, I hit bottom but barely. I guess I’m lucky to be here. Peace.

GEEZER

SLADE AND SHELBI

FLATHEAD BLOODY MARYS: mountain bikers converge at noon Jan 1 to romp through Town Center Cherokee Village, with mandatory bloody mary billiards while gathering at Copper Feather. Awesome scenery. COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!!!

ALEXANDER CONQUEST: Thorough mountain bike romp of Alexander Wildlife Management area. I’m talkin’ turkey! COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!!

BUFFALO SOLDIERS:march twelve. Mountain Bikers and canoers tackle Buffalo River.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS: march nineteen. Twenty six miles on mountain bike from Highland to Strawberry River. Canoe twelve miles, camp? Music?

HEART TO HART: March 26 Ride mountain bikes from BaseHart Camp, Cherokee Village, to Heart Arkansas, canoe back. Big day.

CRITICAL MASS: Fri April 1 saturation of downtown Ash Flat.

TRAIL OF TEARS: April 3 Ride from Rock Creek to Cherokee Village, canoe back.

WARM FORK CROSSING: April 9 Ride and hike Grand Gulch State Park, Thayer Missouri, ride to Warm Fork River, canoe to Dam three, Spring River. Wonderful mix of town and country.

BLUE COLLAR BLUES: April 16. Set Camp at Slick Rock. Mountain Bike to Table Rock above Saddle. Canoe to Slick Rock for a night of blues. So much more.

STRAWBERRY SKIES: April 23 mountain bike from Highland to Strawberry River. Canoe twelve miles.

WOLF RIVER BLUES: April 30. Canoe from east Memphis into the Mississippi via Wolf River and Mud Island. Mountain Bike downtown and Beale during the Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis in May

NINE MILE DOUBLE BARREL: May 7 Ride mountain bikes from Spring River Valley to Bayou Access, canoe back. Next day Ride from SRV to North Golf Course, canoe back to Hardy.

RAZORBACK HOGGIN-MIKE GRAY AT SRV: May 14 Mountain Bike from Spring River Valley to Bayou Access, canoe back. FIREBOX AND MIKE GRAY, or SABER AND LIVEWIRE, maybe EL BUHO and THROTTLE? Maybe Crowbar and Jason will do some hoggin and froggin. Mountain bike Riverbend Park and White Horse Mountain next day, canoe to Hardy with a lengthy stay at High Falls.

SANDY HALL MEMORIAL: May 21 Mountain bike downtown Hardy. Ragball, a safe version of softball, at Hardy beach. Rebel Records providing music. Canoe to Bartlett’s. Volleyball challenge and Frisbee.

FRISBEE FESTIVAL: May 22 Toss Frisbee at Loberg Park, canoe to Hardy Beach, toss more Frisbee. Canoe toward Zeigers, Loyd’s, Kerry’s, Pancho and Tee;’s, and Bartlett’s, filling the sky with discs and each stop.

WALLEYE VOLLEYBALL: May 28. Canoe from Hardy beach, fishing for walleye and bass. Volleyball and Frisbee at Bartlett’s

HOWARD”S HARD ROCK: May 29 and thirty. Canoe dam 3 to Saddler Falls or Spring River Oaks each day.

MANY ISLANDS DOUBLE BARREL: June 4.Set up camp at Many Islands. Mountain Bike to Dam Three.(difficult) Canoe to Many Islands. Camp. Canoe to Hardy next day.

CRITICAL MASS/DAM MARATHON: Friday June 10, afternoon. Hardy mountain bike romp. Saturday mountain bike from Woodland hills dam in Hardy, ride to Dam three at Mammoth Spring, canoe back. Huge day.

SRO DOUBLE SHOT: July 2 Mountain bike Mammoth Spring, canoe to Spring River Oaks. Camp. Canoe to Hardy next day.

ROCK CREEK RUMBLE: July 10 Romp through Harold Alexander Wildlife management area. Canoe to Ravenden Springs,.

LOST CANYON/OTT CAVE: July 16 Experience the tiny box canyon at headwaters of Pierce creek in Highland, tough mountain bike ride down power line right of way to tiny Ott cave, walleye and bass on Spring River. A trespasser’s dream!

MANY ISLANDS DOUBLE SHOT: July 23. Canoe Mammoth Spring to Many Islands. Camp. Canoe to Hardy next day.

SRV DOUBLE SHOT: July 30 Mountain bike from Spring River Valley to Bayou Access. Canoe to SRV. Camp. Music? Ride Riverbend Park and WhiteHorse Mountain next day, canoe to Hardy.

REBEL RECORDS DOWNHILL/UPSTREAM CHALLENGE: August 6 Mountain Bike from Rebel Records, Highland, to Hardy beach for Frisbee and Hacky Sack. Canoe upstream from Hardy Beach to High Falls. Float back.

ELEVEN POINT RUCKUS: August 14. Mountain bike from James Ranch upstream. Canoe back to James Ranch on Eleven Point River. Music Festival? Next day canoe from James Ranch past Kilo Vista.

HARD ROCK 20K: August 20 mountain bike all morning, veg at Howard’s on awesome Saddler Falls.

INDIAN SUMMER: August 27 mountain bike from Rock Creek to Cherokee Village, canoe back to Hardy.

TROUT FESTIVAL: September 3 Canoe from Dam Three to Bayou Access. Fishing tournament..

TREE LOVERS: Nov 26 Mountain bike Cherokee Village.

anuary 23,

Ready to scout some trails. Geezer killed a mountain lion! A meteor hit the barn. Thousands of Chinese are marching with signs, rednecks are shooting them with jello filled condoms. Need some nature, cause Ashcroft your wardens can’t cage my nature.Gore was right. New killer visuals for Panadox. Gotta go take some pictures

January 21, 2005

Pruned one Bradford pear today. Did it well, I wish people would call me while their bradfords are still small, much can be done for a low price by training the tree properly while still young. Rebel Tree Care—Services offered. I invented a game I call War Machine. It’s a variation of the children’s card game War, only five dice give an underdog a chance to win. It goes like this, say you draw an Ace and your opponent draws a King, on the subsequent roll of five dice, you have an advantage of one, in other words if the King rolls 18, Ace must roll 17 to tie. If a Queen rolls Sixteen, Ace must roll 14 to tie. Jack, Jokers, and fours have a value of eleven, Tens ten, Nines nine, Eights eight, Sevens seven. Six and below are removed from the deck beforehand(except fours). Queens have a value of thirteen, Kings fourteen, Aces fifteen, in other words, if Seven rolls fifteen, Ace must only roll seven to defeat him, taking the seven, and drawing one card as the prize. Example, Jack against Joker, straight up. The roll is even. Four against Nine, if nine rolls nineteen, Four must roll seventeen to tie. Queen versus ten, if ten rolls twenty three, Queen must only roll twenty to tie, and so on. Now, after all cards are drawn, the canceling begins. Players lay cards out in groups. Aces and fours do not cancel. If the Four of a certain suit is accompanied by the corresponding Ace, the four becomes twenty instead of four. Aces are fifty points, with a bonus of fifty for all four. Kings are forty, with a bonus for all four(four kings becomes 200 points.) Queens are thirty, 150 for four. Jacks and Jokers are twenty, 100 points for four Jacks, sixty for both Jokers. Same with other suits, fifty for four tens, 45 for four nines, forty for four eights, 35 for four sevens. Straight Flushes receive two hundred points. Canceling is trading out prize cards, if one player has three kings the other one, one from each player is discarded. If both players have two of one rank, all four are discarded. Scores of several hundred are possible. Great counting game for children. My niece Shelbi and Nephew Slade (above)and I play tournaments. The felt lined box keeps dice quiet for mimi.

Another game I invented is tournament Solitaire. Say you start with one hundred dollars and spend fifty five for the first game. With forty five dollars, you only need ten dollars for game two. Ten for two. Say you get thirty points, or six cards up in the Aces, then you become thirty five for three. Say you get fifty points, you become forty for four. Now say you get your forty, and another seventy. You got your forty for four, and another fifty five for five, becoming forty for six. Overlapping gives you a one game bonus, putting you at forty for seven. If you get that fifteen, achieving a seventh game, you win. Fifty five for five gives you a twenty five point bonus, in other words, if you get sixty five on your first game, you become thirty for five, because you got your ten for two, your fifty five for three, putting you at fifty five for four, plus a one game bonus for overlapping puts you fifty five for five, twenty five point bonus. Getting a seventh game wins

January 20, 2005

Tired. Good kinda tired. Pruned a massive white oak over a roof, big hickory over a shed, and big red oak over a house. Rudy cleaned it up. All pruning done to ANSI standards, as always, my entire career. I’ve got good karma, other tree services, if they ever stopped stubbing, flush cutting, and spiking, it wasn’t long ago. Lake Thunderbird was serene and glassy, kinda silted I guess from the high volume of water right now. Oh yeah, I trimmed three small hickories too. Got my rebelriver.com drink containers in, so everytime anyone sees me now I’ll have a tall white sippy cup. Wasn’t too tired to beat my nephew Slade in one on one basketball to twenty win by four. He’s only ten, and I played college sort of, two hundred and fifty dollars for sweeping the gym floor once. But still, I beat him like a yard dog, twenty to eleven. Yeah. I’m bad. I did hit an awesome love shack from twenty feet, I think that’s when he really got tired. Highland is twenty and two, I need to check the Rebels out. Check out Mike Gray at Pocahontas legion Saturday night, I’m taking a van load. Memphis trip in the works, jobs in midtown and east. Proper pruning, what can I say? I’m the best!! Check out Rebel Tree Care @ rebelriver.com. Tell your friends and neighbors, word to your mama. Peace.

January nineteen

Working on the banks of Spring River. The water level is high but clear and green. The falls adjacent to the tree job I was doing were angled almost parallel with the river. Everywhere sparkling white curtains twinkled, roars and pitches waft about. Incredible rush of awe just standing there. I swear almost wet myself. Just kidding, I’m in control of all bodily functions, everything seems to be in working order. Love the outdoors today. Trimmed a dogwood and mock orange, getting ready for a huge honeybee tree.

Need to ride. Need to Jam. Everything spinning in my mind, so many things, prioritizing is tough. Should I jam? Or should I ride? I could take the van, jam, and ride. I could ride till dark, then jam. I could jam till dark, then ride. I could jam the van, I mean van is my middle name. I am a proud member of the National Arbor Day Foundation. Here are some links to check out some Blue Collar Rockers.

Jan 18.

Hey now. Feelin kinda goofy. Just trying to keep a fire going. Small pruning jobs, dogwoods, pears. Geezer is hungry. He almost caught an eagle he’s so hungry! Crick in my neck that goes down into my heart. Need to dance or shoot jump shots. Gotta run to bumfizzle to look at a tree. Bought what I thought was a regular digital camera at Wal-Marts, turns out it’s video too! Now a new amp and new projector and I’m stylin’.

JAN 17,

Yo. Got a good feel for the next Alexander conquest. What a romp it will be from Highland down to Spring River. Trails abound, plenty of nature and stuff. RebelRiver adventures, Get Lost. Speaking of slogans, how about Rebel Tree Care, the other guys suck! Rebel Word, Don’t read this, Erosion, It beats Masturbation, Panadox, something to look at. How about Hey, you talkin’ to me? Or I’ll be back. When I’ve had a few beers sometime I’ll show you my DeNiro. Mom’s back from Colorado, she was so wonderful to help a sister in law through a family death. I can see her house from mine, It’s good to have her back.

Slick Rock Blue Collar Rock is near to final planning. Friday the fifteenth should go something like this: FIREBOX, DARK EMBRACE, VISION TONGUE, THIRTY TO LIFE…Saturday the sixteenth should go: THIRTY TO LIFE, VISION TONGUE, DARK EMBRACE, THROTTLE, FIREBOX, MIKE GRAY, EL BUHO. Dr Pepper is sponsoring us, so drink up. Listen up to KZLE Batesville for ads, I’ll be posting a map to Slick Rock soon. RebelRiver.com; it’s not just an all consuming obsession, it’s a hobby!

January 15

Lot’s o good pruning! Let’s see a white oak, blackjack, hickory. Three red oaks and two loblolly pines better off. Hey, I’m a surgeon. Rudy is getting the wood, slowly. Pent up, need to party. I wonder who’s at Copper Feather tonight? An insurance agent used to live at the house I’m working at, he has a cousin that spikes and stubs, horrible old cuts fifteen years old. The guy works at his office, too, and probably all the guys friends, and neighbors, spreading disease and malpractice every job, and no one knows. Insurance agents and real estate agents are wrong a lot, they often want to tell the tree trimmer, “what they want,” and often this is unwise, if not downright foolish, but for a tree trimmer to tell them this is uppity. ANSI standards will be the savior of the industry, and if I’m still alive, I will tell them, “I told you so thirty years ago, but the damage is long done, chumps have gotten rich ripping people off, and trees are falling apart where stub cuts and flush cuts have caused cracks. It’s not about bullshit, it’s about STANDARDS. Politics are no substitute for real tree care. Please, make a tree service put in writing that all work is to be done to ANSI standards(Rebel Tree Care—Mission Statement)

January 14, 2005

Friday! Happy birthday cousin Cathy Haney. Congratulations on your new daughter. Your sister Kim tried for years to have a girl. Four boys later she gave it up. Got the huge Hickory trimmed, it took a lot out of me. If Rudy would get with it we might finish the job tomorrow. I don’t usually work Saturday, but with all the rain lately, and jobs lined up for next week, we better do this thing. Badda-bing. The tree was a hundred feet tall, one trunk a little shorter, I tied in at eighty feet, got some old storm damage out, then slowly dismantled a huge side trunk, lowering pieces to brush the roof and tangle in lower branches I was loathe to remove. Rudy would wrap the lowering rope around the trunk so he could control it, I don’t use a hobbs device. Now the tree looks great.

Keep an eye on Panadox, as I will be posting pictures of various video I run. I’m just experimenting, Panadox itself is an experiment. Chaio for now ya’ll

Jan 13

Rain. This is Thursday the thirteenth anyway, that’s bad luck. Day off. Just after dawn and already I’m having a wonderful day. I bet Geezer’s pissed, out in the wind and rain, maybe it’s time for a bath. I might get silly today. I may seize this day like no other. Or go back to sleep. Freedom. That’s what I’m about. I love to write on rainy mornings. Stormy mornings too, but until recently that wasn’t wise, sudden power outages could lose data, and I hat that. This laptop frees me from that threat. I think I’ll continue Forester(Rebel Word) or Jokers(Rebel Word). When I carried groceries at IGA back in the seventies I grew to love rainy days, people in rain coats, laughing and splashing. Sixteen years in tree service has helped develop more fondness of rain drops, like a reprieve: instead of climbing a dangerous tree and working myself sick, I get to just relax naked. Yes you caught me, I’m naked. Frollicking on my king size bed. Tami just left, we did it! You can see video of us doing it at Rebel MILFCAM.(just kidding. And by the way, Geezer did not tree a bear, or block a punt, or cause a riot on Beale. It’s funny to pretend he does, if you knew him you’d know why. I will post a picture of him soon, and a picture of the ancient swastika I found, and pretty Candy cutting a tree down, and FIREBOX. Need to Jam. Hope to ride today if it’ really a rainout. Ya’ll have a real day. Alan Van Williams.

January 12, 2005

Feeling it. A big blackjack oak, red oak over a house, a post oak, maple, southern magnolia, all are set for the future. Big storm system moving in from Oklahoma, winds whipped and stressed me all morning. Rudy doesn’t like chipping blackjack. Tomorrow it’s more of the same, a huge hickory has a side trunk with a tight vee crotch and included bark, absolutely the kind that fails in storms, right over the house. That’ll be a ride.

My eyes ache from sawdust blown and chips. Scratched up, ears ringing, hoarse from hollering at Rudy and singing. Lunch at Carol’s lakeview. Wednesday is Rueben day. Dead possum in the yard. Saw a hawk right up close. Paying bills, living well. Peace out ya’ll.

Jan 11,

Back in the trees! Feels so right, good work for my soul, pruning a large red oak over a house, large chinquapin oak toward the house, pecan, huge post oak over the highway and a fence. Tuliptree(poplar), dwarf crabapple, redbud, dogwood. Squatting to cut the larger branches for firewood felt great. I’m changing some work habits, like using my right hand to reach high while maneuvering my ladder. For sixteen years I’ve done it a certain way, but I think it’s compressing my left lower back. Feels better when I change it up, but foreign, need a good crew to do all that for me again. The chumps don’t use use ladders, or pole saws for that matter, a good arborist uses both. Yesterday I pruned a red oak and removed one over a house. Tomorrow it’s four complete pruning oaks, one hickory, then a bunch of quick trims and removal. Can’t wait.

Got the trophy from Ivey’s, the softball player on top broke off. I’ll glue it back, it’ll be funny when it breaks again at the party we’re gonna have. I promised a keg party to the person who led the team in doubles, and whoever knocked Dennis Burton out of a game(good pitcher, and a cop). Matt Vaughn did both. Ashley Booth led off, he could run faster backwards than most people could forward. Robert Wiles batted third, he played second, one time we both dove for a line drive. I caught it, but also ended up with a severe concussion and broken ear drum on my thirtieth birthday. Richard wiles played outfield, he and Robert both veterans of two state finalist baseball teams and state champ football team. Martin Pearson caught, irritating opposing batters no end. Chuck pitched, he was near blind, and when he tried to catch it I knew to dive. From short I hit the dirt often. Jeff Polston hustled his ass off, Bob made up for holding the ball with great speed. Bryan Gooch made the transition from outfield to first base, a true athlete and a hell of a guy. Nicky Dunbar was our scorekeeper, we pretended she was the coach, but I truly was.

January 8, 2005

Yo. Kickin it. Spurs Denver. Geezer treed a bear!! Tami got a new job at Cut-n-Curl.

THROTTLE tonight at Pocahontas legion, special guest MIKE GRAY. Need to ride. Been jamming hard lately, I dig it, we’ll see if anyone else does. Loosely, here is the lineup for Blue Collar Blues. Friday night: FIREBOX, DARK EMBRACE, VISION TONGUE, THIRTY TO LIFE. Saturday: THIRTY TO LIFE, VISION TONGUE, LADDY, DARK EMBRACE, THROTTLE, FIREBOX, MIKE GRAY/and or EL BUHO. Some of these bands have not been secured or notified, but this is a framework, hopefully finalized within days.

Jan 5

Rain. Spring river is swollen to bursting from the banks. Sugar creek and Martin Creek would be a fun dangerous romp with kayak or canoe. Ready to get into some trees, but postphoning things till next week. Taking Tami to lunch, hopefully Chinese. I bet Geezer is pissed, hungry wet and cold. Get under the shed dumbass. Puttin together the roster for Blue collar Blues april 16. I think El Buho will show. With Mike, Throttle, Laddy and Firebox, that’s a festival. Need to holler at Gearheads for a Valentine thing. Music and refreshments at Petals-n-Lace. Romp through Craighead park. Drove my mom to Memphis yesterday, she’s jetting to Colorado to help family very sick. Checked out some possible take outs for Wolf River Blues.

January 2, 2005

Exhausted. Utterly exhausted. Spent. Scratched up. A small piece of Alexander was conquered today. I made it to Spring River and back, barely. I started off with a mile of cow shit. I would pop a wheely to scare off posturing bulls, one brayed, yes brayed loudly, kicking loudly off, and injected a huge urine stream in defiance of my passage. Just as I was dismissing him as an idiot, the big bull stood in my way, directly in the trail, huge mud covered head staring, tense, huge testicle sack swollen. I veered around him, he never pawed or feinted, and I was glad. Huge ride down the power line. I found ancient relics, fought through canyons and brush, hiked searching for my favorite camp as a kid. On the steep creek valleys stretched, deep gully’s singing with trickling brooks. It’s the wet season. I sneaked up on deer and turkey, buzzards and crows. I tried trails that dropped into boulder hells, pushed and pushed, the difficulty level was very high, even several downhills too steep to ride. Doggedly I pushed on, knowing the reward was a coast or flat ride, what goes up must come down. On to Spring River I marched, the last couple of miles fun and easy. At the water I kneeled to splash my face. Darkness coming this overcast day, I would get light rain again on the long muddy trek up Turkey Pen Road back to Highland. I figure I can do Turkey Pen pretty much in the dark, so wasn’t worried. Didn’t take near enough water, thought about calling Tami to bring me some. Back in the trees this week, good jobs lined up for Rebel Tree Care. Peace.

January 1, 2005

Sommembody help! Tami’s giving me a wedgie! First annual Flathead Bloody Mary’s is in the books. Highland around BaseHart. Romped the campground, and three dams, back to Highland. Feels good(not the wedgie!) Even in the rain finishing up. So good in fact, that ALEXANDER CONQUEST is bumped up from June or whatever to TOMORROW! I’d say breakfast at Timberline restaurant around ten, then get wild. Nothing can stop the descent to Spring River. Side trips to tiny Lost Canyon and Ott Cave will be nice mini hikes. I saw the Square rocks today. I’m obsessed with a pile of perfectly cubicle rocks of varying sizes in the river. More on this later, or check out Forester(RebelWord).

Haven't had enough yet?

Still more blogs

HOME

arborist blog opinion humor agenda clean water initiative proper tree care root zone daily journal river blog tree trimmer's blog stream team politics weather sky conditions pollution watch dog environmental commentary cattle ranch pollution Oklahoma attorney general big chicken live music arkansas spring river memphis tree trimming tree pruning residential arborist Cordova Germantown Geezer red oak willow oak, Petals-n-Lace Creekside Loft Guided canoe trips Hardy ar Spring River, Main street hardy, woodlands hills dr. forty islands creek, rock creek, big creek, turkey creek, otter creek, hackney creek, pierce creek, raccoon springs, strawberry cottonmouth