On our bike route home we found huge chunks of beautiful wood in someone’s front lawn. We later discovered they were black walnut.
They were so pretty we found it hard to believe that anyone would merely discard them. I knocked on the front door in hopes to ask the homeowner whether or not the wood was up for grabs. No answer. Determined to find out, I left them a note in their mailbox.
The following day, I got a call from Aaron of Toronto Tree Removal (i.e. the homeowner). He had recently cut down the black walnut and was going to sell it to a mill until his client went chainsaw-happy on it. Now “worthless”, he said we could have whatever we could grab!
He forewarned us that this was a “godfather”-like exchange and would call on a return favour in the future.
Thanks Aaron! We’re looking forward to more godfather-like exchanges, especially if it means material for making.
