She may have been looking through a gaping hole in the roof of her front porch, but Teri Hockstad was nonetheless looking on the bright side after a tree came crashing into her office on Lapeer Road last week.
The large tree, as it turns out, was rotted at the base and fell during windy overnight conditions Tuesday, Oct. 6.
But while one corner of the building sustained significant damage, Hockstad, who owns Abacus Accounting, and her staff said they were thinking positive.
‘We’re just happy it didn’t hit our Mothership,? Hockstad said, referring to the company’s main computer terminal, which is located near the damaged area.
And, she noted, with the current economy in the tank, quite a few contractors stopped by to bid on the clean-up job.
‘Look at it this way,? she said. Somebody’s going to get some work from this.?
Around Lake Orion, the business is known for the cheerful sayings posted on its sign out front every week.
When the tree fell, the sign said ‘Change your looks?.smile!?
The word ‘smile? was still visable through the thick mass of branches and leaves, office manager Connie Perry pointed out.
‘We’re just grateful we still have power and we can work,? she said, before excusing herself to make lunch reservations for the office.
‘We have the best clients,? she said. ‘One of them just called and said ‘It looks like you’re having a rough day over there. I think you all need to go to lunch on me.?