Part of the problem we have living here, is the long list of things which need to be done..It is only a problem in that we have to decide which project we want to tackle. If our funds were unlimited, and they are not, it would be simple.. Right now we are tackling projects which don’t cost much to accomplish.

Accomplish being the operative word. Accomplishing a project implies completion. We are really good at starting projects, not so good at finishing them.. When it comes time to spend money, the elective projects tend to be left while we pay for urgent uses of our money. Some projects which need to be completed are not optional….

Our generator is having a little hissy fit.. Not a big hissy fit but a little one.. So the money we had expected to spend on taking the tree down on the perch was diverted to buying a fuel solenoid and a relay switch. Not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things but an unexpected cost none the less.

E has a bit more experience murdering trees since we moved here.. With each increasingly difficult tree, he gets more confident.. He will never be the guy climbing the big scary trees hanging over cliffs or climbing the 80 foot trees to trim the tops.We leave that to the professionals. But he has become quite good at dropping the trees that can be taken down whole.. This week he had to take down a dead Arbutus and two tall skinny firs to make way for the new wood shed.. They went well, so he felt confident to take down a 60 foot fir that was growing up in the middle of a beautiful Arbutus in the same area. We thought if we could take it down safely it would really showcase the Arbutus and let in the sunshine to the three other nearby Arbutus. He took it down beautifully and it landed right on the burn pile I had going… Clean up was simple.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

He turned his sights to the tree on the perch that has to come down… This was a really difficult decision and I hesitate to let the R’s know… but its time had come… E borrowed the safety harness from the fire hall and climbed up on the roof to plan his attack.. Worst case scenario, the tree would land on the roof of the den, or wipe out the satellite dish… Best case scenario we won’t be launched off the cliff when the tree toppled and our solar panels will thrive with the added sunshine…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Like the other trees he took down this week, the operation went slowly, smoothly and as planned… When it was all said and done, he and the house

were still standing