No Time for Amateur Hour

This is why it's a good thing to have professionals take down your large fallen tree limbs:






I was rather hoping the limbs that broke off my sugar maple the other night included the one that hangs down so I can't see my vegetable garden out my bathroom window. No such luck. But the tree surgeon was nice enough to cut it off while he was up there, no extra charge. It was rotten, anyway.

And happily, he asked if there were any others I needed off as well. Happily indeed, because there was another branch that brushes my porch roof, and I was getting a sinking feeling thinking it would have to be left and I'd have to get the crew back out here on a whole separate call in order to get rid of it. Irrational that I should be so flooded with depression over it, but there it was.

But the tree surgeon did ask, the offending branch is gone, and so is my sad.

And so is the arbor vitae that stood outside my west front room windows. I wanted the tree surgeon to take it out four years ago, but he ran out of time and I never got him back to do it. It's taken care of now.

I've long wanted to put a climbing rose in its place, and it doesn't do to envision how nice and big it would be now if I'd gotten it in in the Fall of 2004.

My maple tree now looks very odd and lopsided. But I'm not prepared-- in all sorts of ways-- to give up on it yet. I asked if when its time comes could I have a sawmill take it and cut it up for boards, but the tree surgeon said No-- Too much danger of hidden nails or hooks in it, which could destroy an expensive saw blade. Too bad: Such a waste of good lumber.

I tried propping the collapsed fence section back up, but couldn't manage it. It's a two or three person job. But I managed to get a couple bags of mulch under it, to take the weight off the tomato bush. If there's any hope for more fruit off that, it's strictly because of the tomato cage.