Laughing Dog Arts

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Goodbye Trees, Hello New Fence

It has been a busy month since last I blogged.  This post is going to show some of what has been going on here, and mainly for my own records.
before

See those two towering fir trees at each corner of my house?  Every time the wind blows hard I fear they might blow down, especially that one on the left.   They were both small trees when I moved here, but this is perfect tree growing country, and grow they did.
after

It was a difficult decision but we finally decided to cut them down.  My peacocks used to sleep in those trees, and squirrels and birds made their homes in them.
Days before the trees were scheduled to come down I read this poem by Margaret Gibson titled Solitudes.  I wanted to memorize it, it begins: 
"For today, I will memorize the two trees, now in end of summer light".  Then I had to snap some photos showing them in end of summer light. 
They were beautiful trees and I cried to see them go.
We had to get a permit from the county road dept. to be able to drop the trees across the road, and had to wait until the power company could schedule a day that they could drop the power lines.  After waiting for about 3 years, all these things finally came together. 
Chris Davis and Steve

Steve (Chainsaw Man) traded this chain saw, (a Stil 66 with a 42 inch bar for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing) to the man, Chris Davis, for doing the cutting of the trees.  You can get an idea of the size of this tree and yet, it is only about 45 years old.  Yep, I'm older than the trees.

Chris had access to a skidder which he brought over to help with the tree removal.  The power company attached cables high in the trees and Steve and Chris attached the other end through a giant block to the skidder, insuring that the trees would fall where they were supposed to.
Giant block

Luckily all went exactly as planned and the trees fell where they were supposed to, and not on the house.  
 It was a big event and neighbors showed up to watch the trees come down.
 I don't know who enjoyed it more, the kids or the parents!
 Steve and Chris and the skidder (which Chris operated) quickly got the trees bucked up and out of the road.  One car came as all this was going on, and only had to wait about 5 minutes before the road was clear again.  The whole process took about two and a half hours from electric lines dropped to road cleared.  Of course there was still plenty of clean up to do.

Chris, Steve and neighbor Dan relaxing afterwards, plenty of time for clean up later!

old fence
The wood fence in front of my house has needed replacing for awhile but it was impractical to replace it until the trees came down.  So finally it was torn down but first we had to build a temporary fence to keep the dogs in.  I'm not showing photos of that.
entrance to the fenced yard before work began.
 Neighbor Dan came and helped with fence building
 
Entrance to the newly fenced yard after tree removal.  "Nice gate!" says Windy.

New aspect to the front of the house.  We used fir boards, stained before we put the fence up.  The gate is made from cedar.
Inside the yard looking out through the new gate.  It opens like French doors.
We can sit in the front yard again, it had become very weedy and overgrown before.
The yard seems twice as big now even though the fence is in the same place.  We took out a lot more than just the two big trees.  It was a long time coming but what a relief to have it finished!  Now when the wind blows I won't be worrying about a tree crushing me in my bed, or the fence blowing down either.

Now to bring in our firewood.  One of these days I hope to get back into the studio for serious work.  I've been puttering at odd moments, I'll show what I've done in another post.

Can't go without a gratuitous pet photo!

Hope you all are ready for winter storms or spring showers, depending where you live.  We are having some gorgeous Indian summer weather here right now, it has been in the low 80's.  I love it!  The leaves are so beautiful and everything is crisp and tangy.
So until next time,

Be well.

14 comments:

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

We never seem ready to do what needs to be done for the fall/winter season. Sorry to see your trees go. We went through this earlier this summer and even though it needs to be done, its hard to lose a tree. And I can't be solaced by remarks about less leaves...who cares! Your fence is unique. Here in the midwest we buy 6 x 8' sections of prefab. Yours really fits your surrounding area.

BTW, thanks for a pic of your room. I don't feel so bad now because I'm not a neat freak in mine. Love that your dog likes the table too. Bosco would be hiding under the table chewing something he stold from it. ~lol~
xx, Carol

Janet Ghio said...

Where you able to use any of the cut trees for firewood? Like your new fence and always the gratuitous dog photo!!

Patty said...

What a change in your yard! I know it was painful to lose the trees but
how nice not to have that fear of them possibly blowing down. Can you
use them for firewood? The new fence is so nice with that cool gate.

You have been one busy gal and deserve some studio time.

DVArtist said...

This was a huge job. The improvements looks fabulous.
Nicole/Beadwright

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

It's always so wonderful to have a new slate to work with, even in the yard. We've been clearing out as well, but nothing to the scale of your adventure. Now I have a new tree to plant....I'll never see it tall but then, maybe the grands will. Looks great. xoxo Oma Linda

Cindi Myers said...

I love posts like this!
Seeing others peoples lives and projects.
I'm thinking off building a fence across the top of the yard in the back.
My new little tree has been chewed down to almost nothing and there's plenty of foliage on the bottom of the yard for the deers to eat!
Yeah, I'm thinking of closing it in up on the top and I was going to use an old door for a gate but I'm really loving yours!

Robin said...

Love to see what's happening in your world! My niece, Britlyn has decided to move to Portland!! I am thrilled! Two reasons to visit Oregon!

Emma said...

What a great transformation! Trees are wonderful in the right place & now you have removed the danger you have a new 'planting' or living opportunity' Your place still looks beautiful surrounded by woodland. Enjoyed your 'special birthday' post, too!

nacherluver said...

So hard to see trees go.

Your new fence is gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing the experience.

Anonymous said...

Those were massive trees. No wonder you were worried about the house. Sad to see the, go though. Like your new fence and yard. Windy and Rosecoe sure are showing off their cuteness as always. xox

audrey said...

Jan, I would have had the same worries ~ the wind and fear of the trees falling on the house. They were massive and I'm sure they were sad to go, but they sheltered many creatures over the years so they served their purpose.
The new fence is wonderful. You and Steve have been very busy making improvements around your home. It is time consuming and hard work, but it looks lovely and you will enjoy it so much more now.
The trees here are midway in their change - SO beautiful. I wish it could last for months.
I was happy to see this post. I miss your blogging and seeing new dooleybobbers. Hope to see you on here more now that the HARD work is done. lol
Love to you, friend. xo

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

I would have felt the same way Jan. Sad to see them go but relieved that it was all much safer. And actually the house is still surrounded by trees and looks much better. Your new fence and gate (inspired by the Abbaye aux dames in Caen! :) ) are looking good too. Hope you have a bit more time for crafting and arty stuff now.
x

Maggi said...

What a transformation, and how lovely to feel safe ahead of any winter storms.

carole brungar said...

Hi! What a gorgeous place you have! We too have a lot of large and old trees around our house here in New Zealand. We bought the place because of the trees. I would cry too if I lost any of them, but safety come first.
Carole x