Something Else It's the Wrong Time For

The west side of my house has three tall arborvitae shrubs.

Rather, it had three tall arbor vitae shrubs.

One I had taken down last September, because I really want to plant a climbing rose in its spot.

I'm not that fond of the other two. They've been going brown here and there and I'd really like to plant hollies in their place. But they shield the air conditioner unit and I've got enough to do inside without messing with non-crucial landscaping.

Rather, they did shield the air conditioner unit . . .

We had a big wind through here early yesterday morning. When I took my dog out to the alley I saw this in a neighbor's backyard.

I thought myself unscathed. Except for sticks and twigs, my maple trees were intact.

Then I came back in, and looked out the dining room window to check the level of the seed in the birdfeeder.

And I couldn't see the birdfeeder. All I could see were arborvitae fronds that weren't in view before.

Yeah, it's toast. Pulled up by the roots like a lot of other evergreens around here. And its companion is leaning ominously. Looks like I'm going to have to get a chainsaw at the secondhand tool shop and clear both of them out.

And start looking for holly bushes. Preferably the self-pollinating kind.