Matthew came to visit this weekend to help out with some tasks that required a Young And Nimble Helper. On Saturday he and Smokey put a new exhaust system on Da Yeep.
Observe the shiny new tailpipe.
First thing Sunday, Matthew opened my Christmas present from 2007.
Why, yes, it IS an electric chain saw. Just what every gardener wants for Christmas.
I feel kind of badly that I haven't used it, but between bad back, broken leg, other commitments, and general laziness, I haven't done much outdoor work in the past couple years.
We made up for that today.
Smokey had A Plan.
First, assemble the chain saw and get it ready to go.
Note: we do not comb our hair around here until need to leave the property. No need to get all spiffed up just to go work outside.
Read the directions. This a big break with tradition. I don't really understand it.
All I know is, I turned around and there they were, reading the directions. I think I felt the earth wobble a little in its orbit.
This is an electric chainsaw -- lighter and easier to handle than the gasoline-powered one that I have used in the past. But instead of running an eleventy-thousand-foot extension cord from the house to the trees that needed pruning, Smokey did Something Clever.
He had Matthew strap the little generator to the hood of Da Jeep, which vehicle would become Matthew's work stand so he could reach the branches that needed to come down. That noise in the background? Our neighbor using HIS chain saw. It's a typical Sunday morning at the lake.
I crocheted the excess length of strap neatly.
Matthew thought it would be nice to be able to hear the directions that Smokey would be shouting to him from the driver's seat. Off came the doors!
But Da Jeep wouldn't start!
A quick jump start and it was ready to go.
Voila! A mobile power station and tree-trimming stand.
Safety first, though; note Matthew's face protection.
Okay, here we go. Position Da Jeep so Matthew can reach the dead limbs.
Are you sure this is safe?
Well, okay, if you are sure.
Watch those dead branches fall!
Not every branch that came down was dead. Some were just hanging too low over the driveway.
They pruned all the way up the driveway, 150 feet or so. Eventually I got bored and went to get my weed wrench.
This handy tool uproots unwanted saplings. As the web site says, it's FUN to use.
First, position it so the jaws are ready to clamp onto the base of the sapling.
Lower the long handle until the jaws close and grip the sapling.
Keep lowering that handle, rocking the jaw section upward on its back edge.
Oops! I didn't take a picture of any uprooted saplings, but believe me, there were a few. I was cleaning away the underbrush from the grove of Norway pines. Not much can grow under pine trees because the ground never gets any sun, so it doesn't need to be cleared very often. It hadn't been done in a few years.
Meanwhile, the generator ran out of gas. Gotta mix some more.
While Smokey handled the gas situation, Matthew continued to eliminate dead branches.
Sometimes he had to rest.
And so did the animals.
