Ruminations at the Clothes Line

 

Two giant hickories stand sentinel behind my clothes line, and sometimes, especially when the wind blows, they speak. And to tell the truth I find what they seem to be saying pretty troubling. They creak in a way that seems to imply that they are not as sturdy as they seem and that although they hold me no ill will, they might just fall on me someday. I have tried over several years to see what might be causing the creaks, but I do not see any limbs rubbing or anything else to account for the noise. I think that the noise is coming from deep inside the trees (or tree- I don't know if it is one or both).When they give out these warnings I often think about which way to run if they start to fall, but I know I am kidding myself.
Why don't I move the clothes line or simply use the clothes dryer? I could have the trees cut because if they fall, at the very least they will smash the barn. But the trees are probably as old or older than I am and I can't bear the thought of my paranoia ending their lives. I like looking up at the trees in all seasons and appreciate their shape and colors against the sky. I dislike the idea of paying for something that is free so I shun the dryer except under duress.I like the way line dried clothes smell and moving the line would be a lot of trouble not to mention work. And unfun work, at that.
Maybe this explains why people who live in California with the threat of the Big One, just go on about their business. If they really worried about it or thought the Big One might come any day, they would move somewhere else. I guess they just enjoy their scenery and don't want to go through the hassle of finding another job.
However this does not explain why homeless people in the frozen north don't just get on the road and hike south. You know it has got to be easier to live under a bridge in Florida than New York.