My husband has this thing about cutting down trees. It is something that I can’t relate to in the least. He has always loved it I guess because I can remember when we were first married him talking about how he loved to split firewood with his dad and brothers. One of the first tools he purchased was an axe.
So … I mentioned in one of the previous posts that we bought this fixer upper type of house. We really didn’t know just how much work it needed. I don’t know if the inspector just got tired of writing down all the things that were wrong with it or what, but we’ve found so many more repairs that need to be done since we moved in.
One of the more pressing issues this week was that a couple of our windows needed to be sealed, and really. that isn’t that big of a deal, but two of the windows were leaking so there was a sense of urgency to it.
So, Greg decided that sealing all of the windows was something he could do, but he needed a big ladder to do it.
His “Little Giant” was delivered Friday.
I have to back up a little because this was the second time he ordered this ladder. The first time was while we were at Costco this past spring and living in our old house. I remember looking for him at one point during the shopping trip and found him by the Little Giant demonstration. ”Hey Trace, look how cool this ladder is.” Me, “Greg, we don’t need that ladder. What are you going to use it for?” He explained that we would save money because he would be able to reach all the windows and clean them. I tried to explain that I really didn’t want him cleaning our windows. That he is getting older and that isn’t such a good idea. Any woman reading this … that’s not something you should say to a 45+ year old man.
He ended up ordering the ladder.
I think he was really happy in the car on the way home. Me being me, though just thought it was a waste of money and would sit in our garage and not be used.
Then, the idea hit me. He could use it to paint! So I said, “You know what, you could paint the family room now! You will be able to reach and doesn’t it have some special thing for painting?”
The order was cancelled the next day.
Which brings me back to this weekend, the windows, and the Little Giant. Greg tried to seal some of the windows using the old wooden ladder we’ve had for 20+ years, but I guess he couldn’t even reach the top of the windows on the first floor. Greg promised he wouldn’t go on the roof or do anything crazy with the ladder so I agreed he could order it. We have this light bulb in the back stairs that is burnt out and it is really high up and we can’t reach it so my first thought was, “Hey, right after the windows he can change that light bulb!”
And all of THAT brings me to Greg’s love of cutting down trees, the house repairs, etc. We had this tree that was dead right off our deck in the back yard that needed to be cut down because it was a danger to the house. The problem was that the tree was right next to our septic bed and would require a professional to fall it because of the bed, fence, house, neighbor’s house etc. We have the name of a tree guy and I thought that calling him was on the agenda for this week.
Saturday morning Greg tells me he can get the tree down now that he has this ladder. He explains how he can climb up there and tie a rope around the tree, Sam can hold the rope by the fence at the end of the yard and he can be up on the ladder with the saw and cut it really high up and Sam can pull and it will fall right down perfectly.
I just listened and said, “So you are going to be up on that ladder with a running saw cutting the tree down.”
His reply was, “Well, when the tree starts to fall the saw won’t be running.”
We’ve been married a long time and I knew there was nothing I could say that was going to stop him from getting this tree down. So, the girls and I went out for lunch and shopping (Blaire is home now).
I knew something was up when I came home … 5 hours later.
Greg showed me what happened. He cut the top half of the tree, but it fell right into one of the healthy trees next to it and he couldn’t get it down. Half of the tree was just hanging there against the other trees. Apparently he and Sam worked at it all afternoon. They would run with the rope and try to pull it down? I still don’t quite understand. I just looked at the rope tied to the top of the tree and then tied to the fence and just kind of blocked the whole thing out. Other than commenting that it looked like we had a zip line out there I don’t think I said anything.
Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, Greg said he needed to go to Home Depot and buy a winch. I have no idea what a winch is and I guess he didn’t either because he later told us he thought he needed a wench until he looked it up and realized that a wench definitely was not what he needed and he hoped I wouldn’t see what he was looking up on the computer.
All I know is I came home from grocery shopping to see Greg kind of kneeling down at the end of our yard and it looked like he was reeling the rope, leaning and reeling, and then … I saw the tree fall. MIraculously, where he wanted it.
He cut it up and the boys helped him carry it off somewhere. We have so much wood on the property it is crazy. We probably have 6 Christmas trees in the side yard. I didn’t even ask where that dead tree was going.
Greg mentioned renting a wood chipper.
I’m tuning him out again. Honestly, the image I have of a wood chipper is from the movie “Fargo.” I don’t want to be anywhere near the house the day that project is going on.
I’ll post if he ends up renting one. But for now, just know … that burnt out light bulb in the back stairs … it still hasn’t been replaced.
XO,
Tracey
I made this pasta recipe for the boys last week. It had been a while since I made it and they were very appreciative. It is one of their favorites.
