If you recall a few weeks ago I wrote about a cost splitting program our city has to plant trees in the parkway in front of people's houses. We signed up to get an autumn blaze maple. Our cost: $125.

Last month we staked out the location where we wanted the tree to go. They scheduled an underground utility location person to come out and make sure it was safe to plant there. All thumbs up.

We have been anxiously waiting and waiting to come home and see a new tree. This morning as I was going downstairs for breakfast I heard a big truck outside. I looked and it was a large dump truck with over 50 balled trees on a very big trailer. I watched for a minute or two to see what they were going to do. One guy had a spade but wasn't digging yet. The other two guys were mulling around. They were not going to dig a hole with a spade, so I figured they were going to cut away a circle of sod and drop a tree off, and then a hydraulic tree spade would show up later to make a hole and drop the tree in.

The truck was blocking the driveway so I went about making my breakfast and pouring an iced tea for the road. I thought by the time I was done cleaning up after myself and ready to go they might me done, and if not I would just ask them nicely to move their truck ahead 30 feet.

I went to the front window to see how they were doing before I opened the garage. The truck was gone, the tree was planted, and a nice layer of mulch was around the base! Those guys can handle a shovel.