Black Locust Comes Down at Tom's

The black locust at the southwest edge of Tom's house has always been a concern to us. It was partly dead and it was far too close to the house. In fact it covered a kitchen window. All you saw looking west was the trunk of this tree.

 But it leafed again this spring even though Tom had already contracted to have it removed. It was a hazard to both his house and the nearby church. We got permission from the church for the tree service to drive their bucket truck into that area between Tom's house and the church.

 Dave, with Joe's Tree Service, sent me a message on Monday. He planned to do the work on Wednesday (05/27/20). And so, just after 9:30 am, he arrived with a fellow worker and began the herculean task of removing the old, ailing tree.

 Before the work began I walked out and look up through the tree one last time.

 With the prevailing wind from the west (to the right in this picture) any limbs that broke off and fell would have landed squarely on Tom's roof.

 At Center Street, where the bucket truck had to enter the property, I took this picture of the broken concrete so Dave wouldn't be blamed for any damage. It was already broken before he arrived (that's my orange flag, placed there to warn off anyone who sought to park there).

 Dave laid long long strips of plywood to cushion the load from his bucket truck. It served to spread out the force.

 And so the work is ready to begin ...

 Dave worked generally from the bottom to the top, cutting small branches first and then removing the larger ones in small sections. He's one strong dude. He could hold and use the chain saw with one hand while holding a huge limb (or log) with the other and throw it to the ground with pinpoint accuracy.

 You can see many dead branches in the shot.

 Dave worked around the power and phone lines, always looking carefully before he moved the bucket or threw a branch to the ground.

 Looking towards Center Street from the rear of the church property. Tom's house is on the right.

 The tree is slowly being  reduced ...

 The final high (dead) branch remains to be cut ...

 Tom found a shady spot across the street at Superior Sulky to watch the show.

 The lower trunk of the tree was quite thick ...

 I framed the telephoto shot through the chipper/shredder of Tom watching from Superior Sulky.

 And that's about it. Dave backed the bucket truck out onto Center Street, back into a spot in front of Tom's house and began the clean-up.

 Dave's fellow worker was tasked with chipping all the smaller branches. It was a hot (83°) and humid day but the early morning rain (about 7 am) had moved on and the ground had dried by the time the crew began work. It never rained more.

 They're gone and Tom's house now stands minus the overhanging locust ...

 But a massive pile of logs remains. I would have liked the larger logs cut into smaller sections. They're too heavy to even be rolled by Tom and I.

 The smaller logs, however, were manageable and we stacked them beside Tom's house, off church property.

 Here's the stack closer to Center Street and ready to be taken. Mike Kilroy said he wanted them and, in fact, began picking them up that evening. Black locust burns slow and hot so they'll be perfect for a winter fire.

 What remains of the tree> Just this stump.

Mockingbird Visits

 We've had a mockingbird in the "neighborhood" for many years. Our nearest neighbor once complained that the bird kept her awake all night singing. Clearly this was a lovesick bird. I used to hear it, too, on nights when I kept a window open.

 In recent weeks I've heard it singing in the wooded area to our north. It's variety of songs is truly endless. Repeats, it seems, are not allowed.

 I'd often stand in the yard and just listen to the impromptu concert.

 Yesterday Tom was sitting on the stool in the kitchen making a list and he pointed out the mockingbird which had landed on the suet feeder. Since then it's been coming back almost constantly. Every animal likes an easy meal, a hand-out.

 This shot was taken the first time we saw the bird. It was wary and seemed aware that we were watching from the other side of the window ... but it was more hungry than fearful.

 The mockingbird has the same beautiful brown eyes as the red-bellied woodpecker that frequents this feeder. Late yesterday the mockingbird was on the feeder when the woodpecker landed nearby and began "barking" at him. The mocker played little attention. Eventually the woodpecker, which is not used to subordination, flew at the mockingbird and caused a brief scuffle. But the mockingbird returned to the suet and did not leave until he was ready.

 I don't believe I've seen a mockingbird eating suet before. I'd think the natural world would be providing plenty of food already. But an easy meal is always to be accepted.

Blue Spruce Down

 Finally the Blue Spruce near the southwest corner of the house has died and today (05/03) Tom and I removed it.

 Tom first used the chain saw to remove all the lower limbs so that I could stand a ladder against the tree and attach a rope as high as possible, The tree is the one just left of Tom in this picture. He's cutting the lower branches into smaller sections in this picture.
 The tree, of course, was here when we moved in 33 years ago, I don't remember it being particularly smaller - though it surely was. I'd say it was about twenty-five feet tall when Tom cut it down. In the early years it was bothered by bag worms and I'd spray it liberally each spring. But slowly the tree succumbed to something (probably old age) and this year it was mostly brown. It was an eyesore and a fire hazard.

 We pretty much laid the tree down right where we wanted it. It was leaning towards the garage (not good) but Tom notched the tree on the southwest side so it would fall towards the driveway. I, of course, pulled on the rope in the same direction as he made the final cut. It toppled perfectly into the gravel.

 There's lots of lumber in even a small tree. Tom first cut off all the branches and then cut them into smaller pieces so they could be carried to the burn barrel. Much of it has already been burnt. The larger logs from the trunk were added to the woodpile. Campfires in the years ahead are a possibility. Pine burns too fast for the fireplace.

 Eventually Tom cut another section off the stump so that it is more even with the ground. We'll give it a year or two to weather and then we'll burn it out.

 This corner of the yard looks suddenly bare. But I like the ease I'll have of mowing the grass and don't plan on replacing the tree. It was too close to the maple anyway.

 And so yet another pine is lost ...