Tree removal

 In the last part of 2019 and the first part of 2020, we had several trees removed from our yard. Don't judge me as a person who despises nature. I love trees and the shade they provide but they have a lifespan and when they reach the end of their lifespan then they become a liability instead of an asset. Most of our trees became an internal roadway for squirrels. Thus, when the winds blew, the branches would fall. (Also, I think the squirrels were planning to mount an ariel attack on us from the trees.)

There are several ways you can remove trees.

The old fashion method: The most cost-effective way is to cut them down yourself. That is a method not for the faint of heart, which when it comes to trees that are over 60 feet in height, or close to powerlines, or could fall on my house and crush it, I am faint of heart, I needed to find another way.

The Tom Sawyer method: For the trees along the two roads that border our property (our house is on the corner), I found another way to have them removed for free, and the labor was done by someone else. Two utility companies have main powerlines next to our property, one on the east side of our property and one on the south side. They were both happy to take the tree down and remove the debris since it would protect their powerlines from falling branches.

The pay for services method: We were not done yet. We had some other trees that need to be removed because they were a threat to our carriage house and our neighbor's house. I had to pay to have these trees removed, but it was worth it.

The barter method: Then we decided to have some more trees removed so we could start with a blank slate and landscape the way we wanted to. I contacted a man who purchased standing timber. He was interested in purchasing several of the black walnut trees we had, which we wanted to remove anyway. Instead of him paying us for the trees, I bartered with him for the remainder of the tree removal and cleanup. (He fell each tree with help of a skid loader. 

The volunteer method: We did have some cleanup to do. A group of men from our church came over with chainsaws and a splitter. We cut, split, and stacked the wood to be hauled away and donated to families who could use the wood for fuel during the winter months.

It is a great feeling having the trees down and the open space available for landscaping and gardening.

 The year 2020 has been a challenging year because of Covid. The pandemic has forced all of us to do things differently, with closures of some businesses, social distancing, etc. Yet, it has also afforded many people the opportunity to work at home and to work on their homes. We are no different. Since we could not travel to see family we spent more time working on our home and landscaping our yard. I will spend some time over the next few weeks posting about what was accomplished during 2020.

(March 5, 2020)  After 13 years we finally got around to having the last of the cast iron sewer line removed from the house. The line outside was clay piping. Fortunately for us, the plumber was able to drive the new PVC pipe through the existing clay pipes. This allowed the sewer line to be replaced without digging through the driveway.