Yard Work

We had a very tall tree in our backyard that bent and swayed in the wind, looming over the roof every time we had a storm.  It was an accident waiting to happen. The trunk was rotting away, destroyed by carpenter ants. Fred finally called a tree service to have it taken down.

The four of us must have spent a good two hours watching the tree men.  Forget about school--this was far more educational and entertaining.  A crew arrived on time and got right to work.  The girls noted they all spoke Spanish, which we are trying to learn so we can understand.  The "climber" strapped on some kind of contraption to his shoes and he scooted up that tree as fast as a squirrel, all the time holding a big chainsaw in one hand!  He was not attached to any rope or anything else to secure him in case he fell.  He took the tree down branch by branch and then cut the trunk ABOVE his head.  He seemed to know just where it would fall.  The huge pieces of wood fell to the earth with tremendous force. Some speared the ground like giant daggers standing upright in the grass. The guys on the ground seemed to know just where the branches would land too because they were always in the right place out of the way.  The climber leapt from tree to tree, trimming other branches from nearby trees.  It was cold and windy and he would swing from side to side as the tree swayed, stepping out on impossibly small limbs to get the job done.  I went out on the deck to take a couple of pictures and then thought better of it.  I was afraid for his safety because then he seemed to show off a bit, taking more risks.  Whatever this man gets paid, it is not enough.  He has amazing skill and courage.  His talents will prevent damage to our home in the future. 

The rest of the crew sawed the branches, taking the small ones into their chipper and leaving nice logs for us to use as firewood.  They neatly cleaned up the yard and drove away all in about three hours, start to finish.  That included taking down one tree completely and trimming three others!  Such hardworking, efficient men. Fred has much work to do splitting all that wood.  But he doesn't mind.  We are thankful for this provisiion of fuel for next winter.  God always provides.  We rarely used our furnace this past winter because of other wood we were given. 

Now we are working on our vegetable garden.  On a lovely, warm, insect-free day we spent the afternoon in the garden.  Fred put up even MORE fencing, this time to keep out the rabbits.  We've fought the groundhogs and deer in previous years. The fence gets higher and deeper in the ground. The squirrels won their battle with the corn and we couldn't figure out any way to keep them out, so now we just don't plant corn.  Last summer the rabbits found a way in through very small openings in the mesh of the fence.  Fred is ready for them this season. Then as Fred tilled, the girls and I pulled out clots of weeds and grass.  The breeze was warm on our faces and the rich soil was cool to our hands.  Hands and knees, we crawled behind the tiller and it was joy to connect with our little piece of the earth. I raked the garden smooth and then planted our greens.  Swiss chard and collards, mesclun, spinach, arugula and escarole.  Another season of new life, nutritious food.  We are thankful for vigor and good health.