To get that tree to fall away from the house, we decided that first we'd have to take down three other trees (the ones you can see here near Mason at the corner of the house). And since these trees are in a prime gardening spot, we wanted to take them out by the roots instead of leaving stumps. Which means a lot more work.
Before the chainsaw saw any action, we dug out the dirt around the roots and axed as many as possible. Then a rock tied to a string was tossed over a high branch; then the string pulled up a 100-foot-long steel cable. With one end of the cable on the tree, the other was looped around the hitch on our poor abused Dodge pickup. A few good yanks and, ta-da, the tree was down. Kinda. The top got tangled in the tops of other trees. More yanking, some chainsawing, yanking, and finally we got it:
That was tree No. 1. All the spindly tops were cut up for fire pit action this summer. Then Mason cut up all the trunks and large limbs -- YES! the firewood collection has begun for next winter!
Once the first tree was done, repeat the process two more times and you'll understand why we didn't have time to get to the original tree we wanted to take down. You'll also understand why our bodies ache from head to toe. Luckily rain is forecast for tomorrow, so the dangerously looming tree will have to wait till Wednesday. Or Thursday. Or New Year's Day, when it's supposed to hit 60 degrees.
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