Strong winds last week snapped a huge branch off the oak tree growing behind our house. It landed on our roof which was impeccable timing since we were expecting fire inspectors to show up anytime.

Every year in May, the LA Fire Department sends out inspectors to check if your house is free of debris that can start fires. If you fail the first inspection, a letter of warning arrives to tell you to clean up before the second inspection. Fail again and you will have to pay a hefty penalty.

We urgently called our handyman to help remove the offending branch. It was so big that he had to saw it into smaller pieces before he could toss it off the roof.

All the pieces lining the street, see how big it is? We don't even have enough bins to throw them out. Since garbage collection takes place once a week, it will take us a few weeks to clear this green mess. That's not the end of it. The branch didn't split off cleanly and its remaining part looks like it might break anytime. If it doesn't, we will have to chop it off once we have empty bins. Poor tree is going to be botak for a long long time.