Chainsaws and the way they change how people listen

As expected, two storms in a row, also left a bit of damage in the forest. So yesterday, I took my dog and a chain saw to sort out a few things. Following the trend of electrification, recently I ditched the petrol engine chain saw against a battery-powered model with the Bosch 18 V system. I found it so practical, that I carried it with me also while shopping and for paying at the fuel station. It did not go unnoticed while doing so, that people treated me more respectful and listened very carefully, not just to what I asked, but also to how I said it. And also they smiled more and set their words more carefully. Of course, I know that different dress codes can change the conversation. In Asia, for example, you are treated more respectful when you wear an expensive watch. But, trust me, just wearing my Casio watch and a chain saw completely changes social interaction. I am thinking of taking one into the next management meeting. I am sure, this would have a very positive effect on the way decisions are made. I am obviously not a career coach, but I can see the potential of a whole new category of “dress for success” advice.

By the way, no tree fell in the storm. They are mainly oaks and the storm just took out a few branches, which would have fallen anyway soon. Still, it is a good reminder, not to go into a forest during a storm, but they were cut to handy firewood in no time. Also, it is now time to start planting for the new year. I added 2 apple trees, one pear, three cherry trees and a large number of various forest berries. I am having a walnut tree, which strangely last year did not produce any nuts. Also, I broke open about 30 m² of land at a place with grey-brown podzolic soil, which I will turn into a vegetable garden during the coming weeks.

My work companion (not really working)

Carbon footprint and the Covid-19 endgame

Finally, I found an easy way to offset my carbon footprint: I bought a forest. This is a quite a simplification, compared to the accounting hassle you have with commercial carbon trading for every poo. And it also comes handy in the context of social distancing.

Watching the Covid-19 endgame in Germany now, some of my compatriots are quite a disgrace for humankind after the Enlightenment. Among others, we have a movement called "Querdenker", indicating that the direction of their thoughts is lateral to the mainstream. To me, it appears that their thinking has no direction at all. And also, the length of the thought vector is very small. It must be a tough job for a democratic government to be the intermediate between science and these "citizens." Mostly, it is holding up well, but there are also weird debates on loosening the contact limitations over Christmas etc. They must have found a way to negotiate a cease-fire with the virus during these days.

Luckily, I brought a few Covid-19 Antigen-Tests from Hong Kong. To my surprise, they are not available for general retail in Germany. In Wanchai you can pick them up at the cashout at Watsons, between the chewing gums and the condoms. Made in Korea.

Even my own life is relatively untouched by the restrictions, of course, I do miss a few things also: the museums, the library and even our Anne Sophie Mutter concert in Frankfurt Alte Oper has been cancelled. I hope this year does not damage the cultural landscape permanently. But I assume until mid next year, things will pick up again and we can assess the damage.

The first snow was falling a few days ago. Eddie is a spring dog and has never seen this. But of course, even he is not a sled dog; he knows Iditarod and the great race in Alaska where dogs and mushers raced to deliver serum to an isolated settlement with a diphtheria outbreak. I told him. I wish our American friends would have kept a bit of this spirit, instead of what we have to observe today. When people don’t work together, luckily, we can always count on our dogs.

I am not clear yet which model to apply for assessing the CO2 absorbtion capacity of these trees. I only found numbers for pines, but not oaks, which have the seasonality in dropping leaves in winter and other differences in parameters.

Eddie following ths call of the wild in Taunus.