So, I Dragooned Myself

Tam and I were out looking at the tree-wreckage; our friend and neighbor to the north (The Democrat) came out to have a look, too, and after a little while, our new neighbor to the south (Atom) and his dog (Bear) showed up, followed soon after by the young couple who own the tree-bombarded garage in question.

I asked if I might not trim away the smaller branches that were in the alley.

"Sure," they said, "We've taken pictures for insurance already."

So I got my little metal bowsaw and nibbled away, while the others cleared away the loose branches.

Tam looked over the bigger branch-chunks and said, "This is chainsaw work!"

"Well, I don't have one of those," The Democrat said, "But I have a little reciprocating saw."

"You've got a sawzall?" I asked.

"Sometimes it comes in handy," she replied.

Not only did she have a sawzall, she had the proper kind of blades to take on green wood. She handed me the saw, saying, "I think I'd trust you with this over myself," which I took as high praise. Tam had fetched loppers and we all set to -- Atom, The Dem, Tam, Bear the dog (supervisor), new neighbors and me. In short order, we had the alley cleared and the garage-owners went in to call a tree guy and their insurance company.

As for the rest of us, we were on a roll. We'd cleared just enough to be able to see our way to removing a lot more -- so we kept on. We kinda made some progress. YES, I AM LOANING THEM MY TARP. CALL IT BENEFICENCE: I WASN'T USING THE THING.
We finally had to start piling debris and tree-jetsam next to the Roseholme driveway across the alley. When the young couple returned, they were surprised and pleased by the results of our efforts.

Welcome to the neighborhood, folks -- and I hope you own a snowshovel!