Naked

BEFORE

Got yer attention didn't I? Last week we lost a huge part of the old Boxelder tree that grows behind the shed in our backyard. This week project man decided to take the rest of her down. Every year she has lost branches in the wind and storms and well, her trunk was half rotten so it was her time.

Ryan climbed up about midmorning on Tuesday, before the rain came. He got a big chunk of her down and by the time I even knew what he was doing there was a backyard full of branches, again. Good thing we created lots of free help. By the end of the morning we had quite a nice pile of wood stacked up neatly behind the little shed. I was proud of it. It looked so neat and uniform. Memories of my childhood and hauling wood for our woodburning stove with daddy flooded my brain. I remember the sound of the chainsaw, the sawdust in his mustache and beard, the sleds that we each pulled to and from the tree to the back of the little white Datsun, pushing the sweet smelling logs through the home made tin chute dad put in the basement...good memories. It was nice to visit them again. I was surprised my stressed out brain could find them amongst all the muck in there these days.

It was about lunch time when I suggested we move the camper and the boat. I was nervous because he kept hollering from the shed roof, "you think that one'll clear it?" as he pointed to spots on the tree's long limbs where he was going to use the chainsaw he borrowed from my brother in law to sever her. We took a lunch break and then moved the recreational vehicles in the rain. It was fun. (note the sarcasm.) It was wet, we were soaked we took the rest of the night off. The next morning project man was at it again. He climbed right up in that Boxelder tree and with nothing to clear he straddled branches, he stood on branches and he climbed up more branches. Until he couldn't climb anymore. Then he called his brother in law and asked to borrow the boom truck. His brother in law said yes. Enter boom truck. By this time we had even more neatly stacked piles of wood.It was beautiful. Uncle Steve just happened to stop by around this time as well. Good thing, because I am not a very good boom truck operator. Especially when the love of my live, aka project man, is 40 feet up in the air with a chain saw. YIKES. The tree was rather awkward looking at this point. Project man and Uncle Steve kept working until they couldn't reach the trunk with the boom because the shed was in the way and they had to use a chain to sort of 'catch' the trunk while it was cut. I would be a very happy woman if I didn't have to watch that ever again. It was nervewracking. Soon enough, there was just a trunk left. Check out that sky and those clouds. They were simply amazing. It was so clear and clean up there. Our backyard felt completely vulnerable and naked. And because I know you really can't live without it. Here are some videos of some of the action.

The next day we took down the trunk, with the help of the boom truck.

Look at the size of that trunk.

AFTER

The End
Optional titles for this post include: Tip Top Tippy Tippy Top, Project Man Does Boxelder Tree, Timber, Full Sun, Chainsaw Fun, Don't Try This at Home, Boom Truck Heaven, My Arms are Still Vibrating, How to Keep the Neighbors Awake, Large Diameter, A Tale of a Tree, Bye Bye Boxelder