By the way, I live in the country on 16 acres, 3/4 or which is covered in trees. I use my fireplace often during the winter, and I cut my own firewood from my own trees. I never cut down a live tree -- I harvest dead and fallen trees.

But last summer I noticed a very large oak -- perhaps 125 years old -- that was dead. I live by myself and cut wood by myself, and although I am leery of cutting down a large tree by myself, I sure did want that tree. It was very big and would provide nearly a whole winter's worth of firewood by itself.

All summer I coveted that tree. I would stalk the tree and measure the tree and survey the surroundings. My mind was made up: I was going to cut down that tree even if it killed me. So one day early this past fall I gathered my tree-cutting implements and went into the woods. When I arrived to where the tree was, what is this I see? The tree had fallen in the meantime and was lying on its side!

What a boon! And what a lot of warm winter nights I enjoyed at the largess of such a monstrous prize!

But ..., since I wasn't there when it happened, did the tree actually fall?