Gopher
ArboristSite Operative
Twicw in 24 hours, I received the usual scorn from parents and in-laws over decisions they asked me about regarding tree and shrub care.
The question to all other professionals: "How do you professionally ignore your relatives that continue to question your expertise that most of the rest of the world believes and trusts?"
My dear mother-in-law asked at least three times to have her sight out of her kitchen window restored (the window was totally obscured by an over grown mock orange). Finally, I pruned it nicely (my father-in-law had gradually raised it's height about two feet over the course of ten years.) It looked pretty good given the fact that I did reduce it to a point where we will have room to work with it now in the future. It is very healthy and growing very rapidly.
Also, this same father-in-law has killed two clumps of paper birch (the third - under my care - is thriving after about six years), poisoned his flowering crab with Roundup (even after I reminded him to remove the sprouts before spraying the ground), and overwatered his barberry bushes every year.
I am now getting the silent treatment yetr again, even after my wife tried to explain to her Mom why I did what I did (I tried as well).
To cap this off, my mother calls this morning to say a twelve inch limb fell off the green ash in the backyard, and they didn't even know it until the neighbor came over and said they should do something about the limb in his yard. She wanted a recommendation on who should clean it up, but noe to remove the tree. I once again told her that the tree is very hazardous (it will eventuallly take the house if not dealt with soon) and gave her two names of people in her area that are very good tree people. She then preceeded to mention a name she had in mind (a real hack), and it left me to wonder, "Why the call?" Once again, no trust from the son who has been doing some sort of tree work/occupation for twenty-five years.
I guess the old adage is absolutely correct, "You can choose your friends, but not your relatives!"
I will gratiously accept any advice on how to deal with the afformentioned situations because they won't go away.
Oh, by the way, my aunt said I killed Grandma's tree twelve years ago. Yes, it is very much alive, and I work on it every year (old silver maple). See!? It just never ends...
Frustrated arborist son - Gopher
The question to all other professionals: "How do you professionally ignore your relatives that continue to question your expertise that most of the rest of the world believes and trusts?"
My dear mother-in-law asked at least three times to have her sight out of her kitchen window restored (the window was totally obscured by an over grown mock orange). Finally, I pruned it nicely (my father-in-law had gradually raised it's height about two feet over the course of ten years.) It looked pretty good given the fact that I did reduce it to a point where we will have room to work with it now in the future. It is very healthy and growing very rapidly.
Also, this same father-in-law has killed two clumps of paper birch (the third - under my care - is thriving after about six years), poisoned his flowering crab with Roundup (even after I reminded him to remove the sprouts before spraying the ground), and overwatered his barberry bushes every year.
I am now getting the silent treatment yetr again, even after my wife tried to explain to her Mom why I did what I did (I tried as well).
To cap this off, my mother calls this morning to say a twelve inch limb fell off the green ash in the backyard, and they didn't even know it until the neighbor came over and said they should do something about the limb in his yard. She wanted a recommendation on who should clean it up, but noe to remove the tree. I once again told her that the tree is very hazardous (it will eventuallly take the house if not dealt with soon) and gave her two names of people in her area that are very good tree people. She then preceeded to mention a name she had in mind (a real hack), and it left me to wonder, "Why the call?" Once again, no trust from the son who has been doing some sort of tree work/occupation for twenty-five years.
I guess the old adage is absolutely correct, "You can choose your friends, but not your relatives!"
I will gratiously accept any advice on how to deal with the afformentioned situations because they won't go away.
Oh, by the way, my aunt said I killed Grandma's tree twelve years ago. Yes, it is very much alive, and I work on it every year (old silver maple). See!? It just never ends...
Frustrated arborist son - Gopher
