Spring Cleaning and the Chainsaw Vortex

Thank God for Craig's List! This weekend I finally got around to advertising some items that have been gathering dust in our garage, several for 2 years! In short order a functional fridge, cabinet, futon mattress, and large desk were carted off from our home. Our 2+ car garage actually has standing room now! If we could only get up the gumption to move my sister's families worldly belongings (left when they went to Bangladesh) up into the attic, we could start using our garage for *gasp* parking our cars!

I bought a chainsaw last year because we have so many large trees/shrubs on our property that trimming them with a hand tool would be a nightmare. What has occurred is very surprising, as I have suddenly found that a chainsaw can be used for many, many different things. Indeed, the presence of the chainsaw seems to be enough to bring my way an endless number of things that need chainsawed. For instance, the crepe myrtles that are in front of our house needed trimming due to lots of growth where they had previously been topped off, chainsaw to the rescue (picture me on a step ladder leaning precariously with an 18 inch bar chainsaw in hand).

A floor joist above the stairwell has been difficult to cut due to the small access area, suddenly it dawned on me, chainsaw to the rescue!! Since I bought my saw a little over a year ago, I have felled over 8 trees on my property!! Maranda has become acustomed to coming home to find a new victim of my voracious saw. Now before you complain about my disregard for rooted dwellers on my property, do note that in all (or at least most) cases the trees needed to go. Indeed, I even had the approval from our favorite arborist on most of them. I have removed two diseased plum trees, one stunted apple tree, a pin oak that was growing next to our deck and was being killed by the Sycamore's shadow, a maple that was under the front yard powerlines, and a "tree of heaven" which is an invasive species that provoked an especially harsh appraisal from our favorite arborist.

So if you are ever passing through Catharpin on a warm summer evening, be prepared to hear the sweet hum of a troybilt 18 inch bar chainsaw as it finds its next project.