Outside Again

      After getting the tree cut down and branches from the other trees lopped off, the backyard was full of potential firewood. That all had to be cut up, carted away, etc. But this was Oct. and starting to get cold, so it would have to wait until the spring. We shoved it all at the back of the yard and left it to stare at all winter. It did make big snow banks.
      I spent part of last week cutting it up and carting it away. There was also bundles of small branches for garbage pickup. Garbage day is usually Mon. but since Mon was a holiday, our day was Sat. We are only allowed to throw out five bundles at a time, so three of my neighbors got to enjoy four or five bundles each. So now it is gone, and that's that.
      I'm glad it was on Sat. because Sunday was heavy rain, and we would have had to carry it all out in that.

Outside Work.

I was busy outside last week. Last fall, I had one maple tree cut down and three others trimmed. They are large trees, about 70' high. The one I had cut down started to rot about 5' up. A branch was cut off years ago and it started there. Bugs got in and over the years it just got worse. I became worried that in some hurricane it would fall on the house next door. Not that I'm worried about it - that house is abandoned and ready for the wreckers. The property has a new owner, and people have been around in the last couple of days. That will bring along a new set of worries. What kind of neighbor will I get? In the photo you can see the tree coming down and the house next door.

Down She Comes

    Last week, I had one of the trees in my backyard cut down. A maple tree about 70 feet high. The trouble was where a branch had been cut years earlier. The spot started to rot, filled with bugs that eat wood, ants, etc. I was afraid that in some future hurricane, it would blow down on my neighbors house. Right now the house is abandoned, so I don't know what the outcome would be, but the place has been sold for taxes and I am expecting a new house to be planted there. I wouldn't impress the new neighbors if my tree fell on them.
    I had two guys, about my age, do the cutting. Ex power company employees, pole climbers by trade. I told them to just get the tree down, I would look after the rest. So for the next two days, my wife and I cut it to manageable pieces for the wood stove for some time in the future, and got rid of the rest. I told my wife she would have made a great pioneer.
    The next morning I noticed that the tree next to this one didn't have a leaf on it, while the rest of the trees in the yard are still full.