Gone

It took roughly just over an hour to fell our lovely and very old Dogwood tree. With tears in my eyes, I made myself watch much of the work. I decided, since I was so emotional, to see the operation and, hopefully, get a grip. It didn't surprise me really that I was overcome with such sadness and I didn't perceive it as any sort of hysteria or lack of control. Rather, I saw it as a bit of control of control; it could be called a manipulation of control that would allow a person to grieve for a venerable old living object.
Since the tree was in our front yard, the arborists used a hi-lift to move one man from the top of the tree down who could safely cut branches and limbs swiftly. Three other workers were at ground level moving the fallen wood away to be cut or chipped in their huge chipper. This "de-branching" took all of 15 minutes. It astounded me how fast the process sped.
The next work took the 10-12 foot trunk apart and down. Again, this was done by the one in the lift until the trunk was workable heightwise for someone on the ground. This was finished quickly with the large trunk chunks rolled away to a corner of the yard. Finally, the trunk at ground level was "ground" by a grinder down to about 10 or so inches below the surface.
I couldn't see this part as barriers were placed (not unlike curtains) so that flying chips could be controlled better. It felt a bit as if I was being shuttered from watching an operation or a checkup at a hospital or clinic. When this task was completed, I peered around the "curtain" and saw earth and nothing more. The tree was gone.