Men in Trees!

That's not a cardinal but a very brave and capable tree man!

The weather, this past week, finally lent itself to yard clean up from this long and nasty winter that still seems to keep at least it's one last desperate grip on Northern Virginia, not to mention everywhere else in the country.  So with a brief respite from snow and ice and rain this week, I forewent the opportunity to play a little golf and concentrated on the arduous task of raking out, weeding and edging the garden beds.  No trimming yet as I have a feeling crafty Mother Nature and wily old North Wind still have plans for March.  I know this because my creaky knees keep reminding me about the ever changing weather patterns.

Still, a few days of 70+ degree weather also prompted me to find someone to come and cut down a bunch of trees--six to be exact.  Six ominously old and scarily leaning trees with brittle branches that were hatching a plan ( I could feel that in my bones, too:) that involves falling branches, big time, on the new glass orangerie Peter is installing down at the shop.  Time to take action.

In came the tree crew, chainsaws, ropes, trailer and all, bright and early on a breezy Tuesday morning along with the fastest and most fearless tree climber I have ever seen.  As he climbed higher, more and more branches were being cut and coming down easily, while the rest of the crew gathered and cleaned up the fallen branches.

Tree trimming is definitely not for the faint of heart!

While the whole process went smoothly and quickly, just watching the acrobat in the tree was quite stressful to see, speaking as someone who does not like extreme heights or, for that matter, climbing ladders. This guy shimmied up each tree with speed, finesse and grace, equipped only with a chainsaw tied to his belt and a safety rope attached to his waist--no ladders or cleats.  It was truly amazing to watch!