The "Tree Trimmer" Story

It was an ordinary day. Waitin' on the tree trimmer. Carol and I have two large maple trees in the front of our house. Neither one has ever been trimmed. One of the trees is very close to a large spruce tree and has several branches that touch the spruce. Both maple trees have branches that I hit my head on when riding my mower. Since I no longer have hair, it makes for some pretty vicious scrapes on my scalp when I mow the grass. So, recently when I was working on the middle school yearbook that I design yearly, and telling the yearbook rep about my trees, he suggested I hire his son to trim the branches. Kevin is a graduate of Delaware Valley College with a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Contracting and Management as well as having a minor in Business. He started Immaculate Landscape Specialists, LLC after graduation and is trying to develop his business in the Lancaster area. I made a phone call to him the following day and he stopped and looked at the trees and emailed me an estimate for the pruning and trimming. His estimate also included hauling all the debris from my property. Price was fair so I thought I would give him a try. He told me that he had secured a position working for Lime Spring Farm in Lancaster which is the 2nd oldest working farm in the county. They have facilities for banquets, weddings and parties. Kevin is responsible for keeping the ground's shrubs and trees trimmed and pruned. Quite a few acres to be responsible for. Well, at 9:00 AM sharp, the time we agreed upon, I greeted Kevin at my front door. A very polite, upbeat guy who resembled his dad. We spent some time reviewing what he was going to remove from the trees and I suspect that I asked for more than he had planned, but he agreed with every thing I said. I had to leave for a few hours and when I returned he had just about finished. I was amazed at the amount of lumber sitting on my lawn. The trees looked great, but I did ask if he could remove just a few more branches which, when laden with leaves, would probably still touch the spruce tree. Grabbed his hat, and climbing gear and up the tree he went. Half an hour later I walked out to see that the final bill would be and he said what we agreed to. I took a check out to him as he finished putting all the debris in his truck and trailer. We talked some more and I told him I would have him back again to trim other shrubs and trees. Carol and I had found our new tree trimmer. If you want a recommendation, you have one from me. You can reach Kevin at kevin@immaculatelandscapespecialists.com or call him at 717-422-3849. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.