To save the birch or the cable wire?

This piece was shopped around to a few places, and was ultimately rejected - by NPR as a commentary, The New York Times, Boston Globe. It followed a recent storm that dropped heavy snow - the kind that clogs the snowblower - across Connecticut, but, per usual, especially heavy here, in my driveway.


As anyone experienced in snow removal can attest, it’s important to prioritize the cleanup process before beginning it. Clearing off the deck first, for instance, is usually a poor plan. Focusing on the front walk leading to the driveway, meanwhile, is smart, since it’s the pathway with the greatest foot traffic.

However, when I stepped outside after a significant snow storm, one that dropped eight inches of some of the heaviest snow in recent memory, I wrestled with a different scenario.

Which was I going to save first: the prized white birch in my front yard, or the wire providing us cable, Internet and phone service? Both were clearly suffering under the weight of snow.

The 50-foot-tall birch resembled a still frame of a snow-covered tree in a hurricane. An Ansel Adams photograph it was not. Branches were cracked, some had fallen. The top of the frail tree drooped hopelessly over the driveway.

The cable wire, which runs about 100 feet from a pole on the other side of our street to our house, sagged beneath the row of hemlocks it passes under, like a giant jump rope. In some places, it was only a few feet off the ground; it’s supposed to be 12 to 15 feet high.

The dilemma struck me almost instantly. Should I save nature or technology? The dichotomy could not be more obvious.

Before I could get to either one, I needed to make a path down the front steps. My son, who is two-and-a-half, helped. But even he struggled with his little red snow shovel. He soon lost interest in moving the snow. Instead, he lay on the driveway making snow angels.

I decided I would see what I could do with the tree first, since it’s the centerpiece of the front yard and we still had cable. Yes, a bit of guilt hit me, too. The environment is not exactly for-profit, while my combined phone, cable and Internet bill is nearly $200 a month.

I grabbed two rakes from the garage. With my son beside me, I tapped the bottom branches of the birch. Snow showered down onto our heads and jackets. The tree bounced back up with life. I was pleased. I continued to hit its lower branches, and a few more broke. I organized them in a small pile on the snowy driveway.

Once the tree looked like it wouldn’t be a total loss, I walked over to the cable wire. I followed it toward the road, tapping the hemlock branches above it. The wire popped up a little, rising as high as the net on a basketball rim. When I finished, the cable didn’t appear in jeopardy.

The birch, though, still needed attention. Since there was no easy way to reach the top branches, I tore off the tiny twigs of an already fallen limb, about 8 feet long, and used it like a spear, throwing it, javelin-style, at the treetop. My plan worked.

Later, while unclogging slush from my snow blower, I pondered my earlier dilemma. Had the tree succumbed to the weight of snow, it would have left a gaping hole in my front yard. If the downed cable wire had disrupted our cable, phone, or Internet, we would have gotten it fixed and spent the day reading a book or trying a new recipe instead of sitting in front of a computer or TV screen.

In the end, I was happy to have saved both. More so with the birch tree, though, to be honest. I hope it recovers fully. I will be grateful this year to see its leaves bud come spring