I walk the woods, looking for ash trees that are dead from the Emerald Ash Borer, a pest that arrived on pallets in MI from China. Locating several, I make plans to put the chainsaw to good use.
The neighborhoods around Tucson do a fabulous job of decorating for Halloween but this house did a nice job too. Over time, I’ve noticed southern AZ puts more effort into Halloween decorating than does OH but OH does a much better job at Christmas.
And so, on my first full day, I get busy, cutting two trees and stacking the pieces so family members can use this winter. For all the hundreds of hours I’ve used a saw, never really have come close to an accident….well, there was a time the saw sliced through my pant leg but at the time, my leg was shifted to the side and the saw encountered only fabric. Lucky was I!
This afternoon, after grandsons Ben and Chris got out of school, I visited. They love it when I visit, partly I suppose because I chase them around the yard, making monster roars while pretending I can’t catch them. Unfortunately, as we both grow older, it’s no longer pretending.
The next day, the stack grows. It’s one of several placed strategically around the property.
The weather forecast I viewed prior to coming to OH looked great but once arrived, three days of rain arrived soon thereafter. It’s as if I brought monsoon weather with me but the area needed the rain. So, I took on an indoor project, replacing the drywall that had been removed as part of a plumbing project.
Grandson Anthony, the soccer star, daughter Stephanie and I played 18 holes of putt-putt golf. I plan to spend most of next summer in Ohio, as I did last year. I’m simply far more active here, in the summer, than I am in AZ and more importantly, my 3 grandsons would benefit from having me around.
It’s not just about cutting trees of course, it’s also clearing brush and burning it. I was pleased to see last year’s project of removing all briars and honeysuckle bushes from within the confines of the area where I planted 400 oaks, was a success. Now to address other areas.