Weekend(s) Project

The cedar tree below has bugged me since we moved in seven months ago. It is old and quite tall - about 50 feet. But it is ugly. I know, I know, the picture compliments it due to the white snowy background; but trust me, it is an eyesore up top. I have complained and hinted about it until finally my husband and father orchestrated a tree removal most likely to shut me up.

A few weekends ago Dad came up and brought his new deadly chainsaw that looked like it could be fueled on testosterone. We had a few things against us that day: 1) the wind was blowing to the East, we would have preferred the West; 2) the tree leaned towards the house; 3) the tree was only 10 feet from the house.
Great odds I'd say.
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We tied a rope to the tree, the other end to the truck, which was out in the field behind the house. Due to above counter-conditions, dad notched out the tree and hoped that it fell away from the house. Dad started sawing the tree as I waited in the truck on full alert, ready for action. Suddenly Dad and Phil are yelling, "Go, go, go!". A burst of adrenaline caused my foot to basically floor it, which actually was good because the tree was starting to fall towards the house. So a few creaks and one very loud crack later...the thing was down with a fairly anti-climactic whoomp.

It took two hours to disassemble the whole tree and haul it all off. By the way, the rings were very difficult to count because they were so close together - but there were around 90.

So here is the view the next day sans big ugly tree. I then added some of my new plantings. I was too inpatient to wait several more months for another tree so....

This weekend's project was planting a 10-foot white birch, adding more perennials, and mulching. Typical me, working into the evening hours.

Finished project. Now time to rest for a few weekends. Yeah right.