Posts Tagged ‘clearing downed branches’
Much Sawing
Put gas in the chainsaw three times. Hauled six trailer-loads of branches away. I wouldn’t call the project done, but we made a respectable dent in the big maple tree clean-up, and we have it to a point where everything can just sit for a while, allowing us to direct our attention to more pressing needs for a few days.
A lot of grass deserves to be mowed, but that won’t happen today. Rain will be the dominant theme for a while, so I may get back on my braiding of polypropylene bale twine for use as a wrapping on the new posts in the middle of the paddock.
Here are some more photos from yesterday’s effort:
Thankfully, another large effort with the scariest tool I use has ended safely. Somehow, I didn’t even get the chainsaw blade pinched the whole day. That may be a first. Got startled by unexpected shifting of heavy wood a couple of times, but I came through without bumps or bruises.
I am very happy putting the saw back on its shelf for a while.
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Aftermath Dealing
I didn’t plan on coping with the work that now lies before me. When a big tree comes down unexpectedly, it suddenly claims a large chunk of one’s time.
We started in on the effort to cut up the limbs of the big maple tree in a short block of available time on Friday.
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Cyndie stood and contemplated the prospect of somehow clearing away all the branches and lumber that lay before us. Asher pitched in to do his part by gnawing the ends of branches to show them who is boss around here.
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The broken limb visible in the picture on the left above is not the maple tree. That is an example of collateral damage to nearby reasonably-sized trees, unfortunate to have been directly in the path of destruction. The photo on the right includes a thin maple tree that has been folded over with a 180° bend.
The tangle of surrounding trees adds a significant level of drama to attempts to cut the mess into workable sizes with my chainsaw. It is difficult to detect where the stored energy of torqued limbs and trees is holding things in place or tangled in a way that will suddenly spring free with great force when cut.
I experienced both in the short initial session we worked. There’s a lot more work left to be done when we can get around to it.
Yesterday afternoon, we enjoyed the great pleasure of a visit from my niece, Tricia, and her kids, Brooke and Drew. They were in the area for Drew’s orientation at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. It will be super to have family so close next year, especially since there is a great deal of fondness between Drew and Asher.
I think they will be good for each other.
We’ve been experimenting with using an e-collar on Asher to practice recall and allow him to move around without a leash, but stay on our property. In the last few days, Cyndie has only needed to drive up to retrieve Asher from the neighbor’s place one time.
We know that learning involves making mistakes in order to figure out the corrections, but who is fond of that part of the process? I am guilty of finding it easier to just grab a leash at this point, even though I really want him to learn to stay around without one.
It’s more work for me to stay constantly poised with a finger on the button, needing to quickly decide if he is fine to chase around in our woods or quickly needing redirection to maintain contact with me. When he bolts, it happens so quickly that I can’t tell if my commands are heard and the collar tone or vibration is even being activated.
Yesterday, he came back on his own after chasing a rabbit, so I didn’t fret.
I’m definitely not a fan of dealing with the aftermath when he fails to respond to my calls. It’s so much easier to lavish him with praise when he comes as called.
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Mostly Clean
The problem with taking on a chore like picking up downed branches is that there is no end. Even though my focus was on the area beside the lane around the back pasture, as we made progress, just a few steps away lay another pile of branches equally deserving of attention. It is frustratingly difficult to just leave them be for now and stay focused on the limited original target area.
It has been three years since we paid professionals to cut off dead limbs around the two large maple trees. At the time, we had them leave all the cut chunks on the ground where they landed to reduce their time on scene and save us money. My plan was to clean it all up myself on my own time.
How’d that work out for you, John?
Yeah, I didn’t make much progress with that. Then, a large limb they didn’t cut snapped off in a storm. We cut some of that back, but the rest just added to the mess from before.
We haven’t removed every last chunk that was cut down three years ago, but we accomplished a heck of a lot in the last two days, pulling out what was most visible near the lane by the fence. I’m calling it mostly clean, which is good enough.
I’m exercising my ability to accept that perfection is not a requirement.
It was all rotting in place. Now it can continue to rot in the long, tangled pile of branches forming a border fence along our northern property line.
Late in the afternoon, I met the contractor who will be helping me with the shade sail project. Delivery of the canopy was pushed to today, same as the scheduled delivery of the lumber.
The contractor, Justin, will return on Friday to take precise measurements and provide a cost estimate for his services. He will find me a post-hole auger to rent, and he sounded very supportive of my plans. Looks like he will be available after next week to do the work.
I do believe a new source of shade for the horses will soon be achieved. I am excited to find out how it will look, and how different it will end up being from the images I’ve been creating in my head for the last few months.
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Relative Something 