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Balloon in Tree

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Another annoyance. Some idiot's Happy Birthday Mylar balloon stuck in a tree in my front yard with no way of getting it down. Ironically, my tree man just left after cutting up a tree that fell in my backyard. Balloon.jpg Guess it's too big to upload.
 
For a minute there I thought I was in Roswell! :joyous:
 
I was thinking more along the lines of a BB gun or pellet gun.
 
Good old slingshot.
 
I have a pellet gun but if it works, all it will do is deflate the balloon but it will still hang there. I could call a cherry picker but it will have to drive across my septic field, so not good. We had a windy day today and all it did was blow back and forth, back and forth...
 
At 4:30 am and unable to sleep, I came up with a solution. Fishing rod with a weighted 3-hook miniature grapple used for snagging bunker for bait. This has to work. Lob it up into the tree and pull down the balloon. Stay tuned.
 
I had to pull a broken limb down. I used a big threaded nut and tied a light string to it. I used my slingshot to shoot it over the limb. The weight of the nut allowed the string to fall to the ground. I tied a heavy nylon rope to the string then pulled it up and over the limb. The nylon rope allowed me to pull the limb down. E-Z.
 
I'm a big fan of the cable caster. I think it would work well in this situation with a slight mod. The line on mine has knotted up in the reel, dang thing doesn't seem to come apart for repair.
shopping
 
It didn't work. Too many small branches. The line broke and the grappling hook is stuck in the tree somewhere. I'm probably lucky it didn't come flying back in my face. I give up. Nature will have to take its course. Those Mylar balloons should be outlawed. I don't think they're biodegradable.
 
The only downside to the slingshot approach is that you have to make sure you let go of the bungee cord and NOT the handle :rolleye:
 
Our electric utility has been discouraging their use. Nothing like a metallic-coated Mylar balloon to short out power lines.
 


Reminds me of a few years ago on a Sunday morning I came out to find my trees out front filled with toilet paper. And written in TP on the front lawn was “we love you Kevin”. Kevin, was the high school aged boy next door. My neighbor,his dad, thought it was terribly funny and said he was sure he knew exactly which cheerleaders were responsible. And later I heard that apparently in the dark 3 young ladies, who had been to his house before, couldn’t tell the difference between my ranch style and the two story they’d visited next door. I suspect some liquid courage may have been involved… Anyway, pulled down what I could reach and let the rains take the rest.
 
CaptRandy said:
Better than having landed in the ocean for a whale, porpoise or sea turtle to have swallowed it and died.
Click to expand...

It will still do that once it works its way out of the tree. :(

Militant tree hugger I am not, but I am a proponent of reducing and re-using. Mylar birthday balloons don't fit either.
 
We have seen those balloons out at sea 70+ miles offshore. That is Seven Zero miles. Sea creatures think they are jellyfish and devour them.
 
mikephillips said:


Reminds me of a few years ago on a Sunday morning I came out to find my trees out front filled with toilet paper. And written in TP on the front lawn was “we love you Kevin”. Kevin, was the high school aged boy next door. My neighbor,his dad, thought it was terribly funny and said he was sure he knew exactly which cheerleaders were responsible. And later I heard that apparently in the dark 3 young ladies, who had been to his house before, couldn’t tell the difference between my ranch style and the two story they’d visited next door. I suspect some liquid courage may have been involved… Anyway, pulled down what I could reach and let the rains take the rest.
Click to expand...

I would have found out who they were,put the wet tp in plastic bags,
& send it to their home (or school).Or,if it were Christmas time,put it in boxes,gift-
wrap them,& leave them at their houses.
 
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