They're Gone

We had mixed feelings about the whole thing. The trees did provide a small amount of shade. Most of the time, the shade was outside of the fenced area. The trees did provide a windbreak. The trees also posed a potential hazard during a typhoon. A light breeze and the rustling leaves provided a relaxing sound. It was nice to sit under the trees until the Giant Asian Hornets started visiting. At one point, we had close to thirty hornets hovering in the trees at one time. The dogs were afraid to use the fenced area. We were afraid to use the deck and the barbque pit. We couldn't remove the hornets, but we could remove the source of attraction. Enough was enough and the decision was made to remove the trees in late winter…so, we did.

We started the removal in the morning and finished by mid afternoon Luckily, no one was hurt. The removal was tricky because of the fence. The trees were close to 35 feet tall and all I had to use was an extension ladder and a couple of chainsaws. I roped the ladder to the tree which prevented the ladder from falling. Erika used another rope to pull the tree limbs away from the fence as I cut them. Fortunately, I wore a hard hat which protected my head when I was struck by a large branch.

High fives were given after the last tree was cut down. We were both relieved to have finished the relatively dangerous job. I am amazed and surprised at how open the yard has become. We have a clear and unobstructed view of the entire volcano and neighboring mountain range. I commented to Erika, "Wow! We should have done this a long time ago."

Later, the stumps will be covered with soil and grass. In our nursery, we have several Japanese maples that will be planted in the fenced area. The maples will provide some light shade, color and texture to the area.