Yard work, Spring Snow Damage, and the "Exectutive Decision: in Misc. Thoughts opinions, the whole trash can.

Early April has come and gone. We had an unusual warm to hot March. During the late fall and late winter I think I used the snow blower three times. I “hand bombed”
(RR slang for shoveling), the walks and driveway a few times.

Winter came back in late April and early May. The last storm hit about the 26 or 27th of April. It was a heavy wet snow, and the deciduous trees, had leafed out. The Ash in out back yard, usually is the first to drop leaves and the last to leaf out. We probably got about 6 to 8 inches of the heavy wet stuff. The leaves, were small and I thought ( now that was the first mistake ), that I might skate through this. No, I didn’t. The morning came, it is still snowing and the Ash had a snapped branch. Of course where it split, was at least 20 feet up. Well, it needs to be cut off, and I’ll deal with it, as the weather clears.

Tuesday Morning May 2nd, 900 am:

There has been “activity” on the old Cul-de-sac, the young couple across the street, had the roof and gutter replaced. So, when the mid morning commotion ensued, I figured it was the roofing and / or gutter people, finishing up due to the snow. Well it wasn’t, it was Abe’s Tree & Shrub service, coming to trim and cut a few dead trees in the neighbors yard across the street. I pondered, maybe I should ask if they have time to cut off this branch, and they also had a “chipper” to mulch the branches. My apologies for the lingering odor of hair burning. The Executive decision was made!!!

I walked across the street and talked to a guy, who was trimming the large Pine in front of their house. “How ya doing, I have a question for ya”. “Yes, go ahead”. I related my dilemma and was told we are booked through May, but go talk to the owner of the service in the backyard. Well Abe was up about 30 feet, cutting down a dead Aspen. This was the second of two that had died. I asked his helper, and old Abe yelled down ( he isn’t old, he looked to be early to mid forties), that he would look at the branch when he was done here. Forty five minutes later Abe rang the doorbell. we went to the back and said, yep for $50.00 I’ll cut it and remove the branch. “Deal, I’ll write the check”. He got a pole saw, and a few minutes later the offending branch was removed. It soon after became chipper food, with the rest of the cuttings from across the street. Onto the next project.

I had some sprinkler heads replaced, in Mid April. I also had, like the neighbor, two dead Aspens, about 30 feet tall, taken down. I also had a rebel tree, that sprung up near the walk and goofed up one of my sprinkler heads. So with the waning summer and fall of last year, I had some dead spots. It was well worth the cost and I have full coverage now in the back yard.

I put down some mulch and grass seed down. Well, I didn’t take to well. I told my wife, I am getting some lawn soil, and Ace Hardware, has some sod for sale. Me and the truck headed for Ace. Eight rolls of sod, lawn soil, four wooden stakes, yellow tape, I am going to get this down before the rain. Plus we have the volunteer work at the Mission at 400 pm.

The sod was placed down, and roped off, so the lawn mowers don’t get into it, till it roots and takes hold. The lawn soil was placed over the grass seed. I watered it down. It rained during the night, and most of the day till about 200 pm. Then the sun came out. Overall, Tuesday was productive.

The Ash.. if you look close, on the left about two branches up where the thicker growth is and the branching at the trunk that is where the cut was made.

The new sod

Some more bare spots. GRRR One step at a time

Last updated May 05, 2017