If a tree almost falls on my head...

So, if a tree almost falls on my head and my place of employment is on the brink of a major transition, is it OK to start drinking heavily before noon? (My liver says yes.)

I just came a little too close to becoming a part of Avery House history when a massive cottonwood branch crashed down at the corner of Mountain and Meldrum, while I was crossing the street in that direction. The fifty m.p.h. wind gusts brought down the limb, which might even have been where a black bear was hanging out last summer. I got to watch and hear the limb crack and drop from at least twenty feet up and then thud onto the sidewalk.

The city foresters who showed up after sounded a little jealous of my experience, even as they also appeared kind of sketched out about working beneath the old cottonwoods while the winds were still whipping. One forester said the branch is less rotted than others among the old trees around the Avery House.

Here are some pics:

The spot where the branch broke off (not a great perspective, but you get the point).

The aftermath, before city foresters got to it with the chainsaws.