We had a small apple tree in our backyard. I was sick and tired of picking up the apples that were constantly falling off of it. We did not take care of this tree by spraying it with pesticides, so the apples were not worth saving.
Finally my wife gives me permission to take down the apple tree. I wanted this thing gone. I did not want the stump poking out of the ground either.
First I device my plan. I pull my 1977 GMC step-side 4x4 with 39.5” tall TSL boggers, a 383 stroker motor, corporation 14 bolt rear end, ECT. out of the pole barn and pull right up to this apple tree. I get out of the truck and wrap my big bad tow strap around this tree, and hook it up to one of the tow hooks on the front of this truck.
At this point in time my 3and a half-year-old son is driving his little power wheels Chevy electric powered truck around the yard, because what ever Dad is doing he has to be doing the same thing. I am always very cautious about where my son is at when driving my big truck around our property, because there are so many blind spots, it especially hard when backing it up. I decide the safest spot for him during this activity of extracting this tree from its current location, is in the truck with me. This way I know for sure where he is.
Next with my son in the truck with me, we fire up my male testosterone breathing 383 small block Chevy. I put the transfer case into low range. Next I put the truck into reverse, and start pulling on that tree. My son is jumping up and down on the seat and loving this, as the truck is digging huge ruts into our yard, and sliding left to right as this stubborn tree is trying to prove to us that it cannot be overcome. Him and I are both having a blast tearing the heck out of our yard trying to get this tree to come out. Next I decide to hover the brake pedal with my left foot and mash the throttle to the floor, BOOM, that tree is history. We ripped that thing clean out of the ground. My adrenalin is pumping so wild now, I get out of the truck disconnect the strap. Turn the truck around and field blaze right through what was left of the garden from the previous year.
So spring roles around and my wife decides she wants to plant a row of pine trees across the back of our property. We plant about 16 small pine trees across the back of our property.
Later on that year I see my little boy blasting over those pine trees with his electric motored power wheels Chevy. I am getting ready to yell at him and he slams his truck into reverse, tires are now spinning from the sudden gear change. He is laughing his head off as he proceeds to annihilate the pine tree he just drove over. I scream out “what the hell are you doing”. His little truck comes to an immediate stop and gets hung up on this pine tree. He stares over at me with his, oh boy I am in trouble now look on his face, and says nothing. I start walking over toward him and he gets out of his truck. He looks me in the eye and asks me I want to help him get the rest of these trees out of here. I calmed down and explained to him that we really want those trees in the back yard.
That really made me realize how impressionable I am in his life.