7/21/2023 – Finally Friday

You may remember last December we had to have our 35 foot golden arborvitae removed before it and the fierce wind took down our shared fence, sprinkler and underground electric lines, and part of a cement walkway. It was a sad day and Mom’s over it, saying she can’t look out at that pile of stumps and massive roots any longer. Time to break out the Saws-All.

Over the past few weekends, when temperatures were very, very hot because that’s just the way things work sometimes, Mom’s been out there, sawing away at this and that, freeing up planting space and mostly, freeing up a sprinkler head that embedded itself in the arborvitae roots. The sprinkler was there first, the arborvitae was less than 4 feet tall when planted twenty years ago, much too close to the sprinkler head. There was bound to be trouble. The question now was, can Mom extract it without cutting into or otherwise damaging the main sprinkler line?

Visiting mama raccoon Skinny thought the whole noisy job was silly. Of course, she’s still unhappy about losing that arborvitae which was a great place for her babies to learn to climb and hide, so naturally, she wasn’t supportive of the project in the least.

Mom Excavator to the rescue. Sure, it took three weeks on her limited days off in 90 degree heat, but mission accomplished! Not only was the sprinkler head extracted, Mom capped off that hose route, tested the rest of the line, and the sprinkler line works beautifully without a leak. She removed all the major roots and root mass network and she says she’ll let the weather work on the stumps for a year or two before digging those out. Or maybe, she’ll let them break down at their own pace.

And the yard debris bin, scheduled for Monday pickup, is full of roots, roots, and more roots. Those were some BIG roots! Next month, we’ll re-add a sprinkler to the area, in a good spot this time, and Mom can start working amendment into that soil to get it ready for some sun-starved perennial planting in September. And next spring/summer, that bed ought to look nice and inviting to bees and bumblebees. She might even set a pot of flowers on the flat topped stumps so the hummingbirds can enjoy the space, too!

Having listened to that ruckus outside for three weeks, she can only imagine what Mom’s next project will be. Hmm, there’s a living room ceiling to paint. That shouldn’t be noisy at all, Viola. Maybe you can help!

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2022 – No post
2021 – One Word Wednesday
2020 – No post
2019 – No post
2018 – No post
2017 – Tuxie Life is Never Boring
2016 – No post
2015 – Ruby Tuesday
2014 – Influence
2013 – No post
2012 – No post