Ruby's a tough old bird.

Photo-realistic Rendering of Ruby's near miss

Driving home Tuesday night I was on the phone with my wife. After the usual 1+ hour commute I finally turned off at our exit and slowed things down.

The Prius goes into electric mode if you know how to coax the accelerator and if you can keep it under 45MPH, so I usually let up on it as soon as I exit, then gently ease the pedal back down until just before the digital indicator tells me that the gas motor will kick on. I can actually make it the 1.5 miles to my house without using gas, which has become an end of day winding down routine for me. Hearing nothing but the sound of my tires and the wind is relaxing.

I prepared to turn onto our street to finish the final few hundred yar-

"What the? Hold on a minute." I said to my wife who was still on the phone.

I rolled my window down and shouted at the old lady who was perched precariously atop a 6 foot wooden step ladder. She was on the very top step, facing down at a 12" or so thick/20' long branch that she had mostly felled and was only holding on by another inch or so of wood which she was actively cutting through with a small metal hack saw.

Her ladder was angled as such that had she finished cutting through it would have violently taken the ladder from under her...

"Do you need a hand!?" I shouted.

Exhausted, she looked at the branch, then at the little saw, and then hopefully to the future, realizing that yes, she needed some help.

"If you're offerin'!" she breathed through labored old lungs.

"I'll be right back!" 

I pressed the accelerator too hard and kicked the Prius out of electric only mode, annoying myself.

Wife opened the garage, and a moment later I arrived with a 12' extended electric pole saw and a cable, making quick work of the very large branch.

Predictably, the branch fell where her ladder would have been had I not moved it from it's path. She would have been hurt.

She told me her name is Ruby, and that tree has been dropping leaves since 72' when she and her late husband bought the house. She also told me that she called the local tool rental place earlier that day to rent a gas chain saw, but didn't want to spend the $40 for a half day rental. I told her that was a lot cheaper than a hospital stay.

Ruby is a battle hardened old bird, who would rather spend 45 minutes cutting through a branch with a hack saw than pay for an easy out.

She offered me money, but I said no, that she was not hurt was payment enough.

We chopped up the rest of the branch and put the pieces out by the road for the city to take away, then I said goodbye, and left, contemplating what would have happened if I hadn't been there for another minute or two.