The Miracle in the Tree......

It's Monday...and right on schedule, the massive tree is gone from the front yard. Embedded in the skyscraper's upper branches was a massive squirrel's nest.  The tree surgeon found six fully formed furry little creatures in the nest.  He gently placed the nest under another tree in the yard.  One by one, the mother squirrel came and rescued her cherubs.  I've never seen anything quite like it before.  I feel anxious having been privy to the knowledge of their habitat's demise, but relieved that nature will enable those little babies to survive.......

The Beauty and Bother of Nature at My House......

It's been a summer full of natural beauty and bother outside my home this summer.....

See this bush?  This is our butterfly bush.  It was placed in the ground as a plantling years ago.  It can be left in the fall to dry out, and new leaves and branches and flowers appear in the Spring; or it can be cut to the ground, and a new full-sized bush springs from the stump by June.  Every year we are treated to a priceless array of butterflies like the one in this picture.  It has become a fair weather treat to have a meal on the deck and admire these beauties.  Who would have thought that this inexpensive and effortless piece of nature would provide us with so much joy?

See this plant holder?   Years ago it was purchased for decorative purposes.  Through trial and error, we found that when it is placed on the deck rail on a diagonal and is hugged by the viburnum bush that partially surrounds the deck, a $1.78 six pack assortment of impatiens will get just the right amount of sun and shade during the day, and dew during the night to survive on its own from May until November.  Then in the winter, the planter masks itself as a serving spot for birdseed and attracts several breeds of birds and a few pesky squirrels.  Who would have thought that a simple inexpensive outdoor planter could provide so much enjoyment all through the year?

See this tree?  It was planted decades ago in our front yard.  At two and a half feet, it was adorable.  It grew to ten feet and looked lovely and swayed in the breezes.  It grew to twenty feet and protected the house from peeping Toms and damaging winds.  My honey couldn't wait for the tree to grow pine cones so she could gather them and make crafts.  Soon it did, and she and the kids excitedly gathered hundreds of pine cones in a shopping bag and gave them to me to put in the garage.   By the time the following fall's droppings graced our front yard, it was time to throw the hopelessly dried, untouched, and crumbling treasures from the previous year out and begin the pine cone collecting cycle again. Every so often, I'd cut a row of branches off the bottom to make it look pretty from the street and keep it from slapping passersby in the face. It grew to thirty feet and  began dripping sap on cars, the sidewalk, people's hair...and people complained.  As it became more of a liability than a thing of beauty, and the complaints from the folks who were victimized by its venomous sap and brutal branches increased, it was time to say goodbye to the pretty but troublesome tree.  I was psyched to give my front yard a face lift and even tingled inside at the thought of the tree coming down.  "TIMBER!" I thought with a satisfied smile. Today the tree taker outer was here to do the deed, but couldn't finish the job.  

See this pitifully maimed bottomless, branchless beast?  Until Monday, when the job will be finished, this is the main attraction in my front yard.  Who would have thought that this overgrown, pine cone shedding, fluid filled monster would refuse to leave, and provide neighbors and onlookers with a weekend full of stunned stares and sneering snickers?   

Those pine cone hunts, the shade, the potent smell of pine, the beauty, and the fact that my children can't remember our house without that tree...Who would have thought I'd have a pang watching that bear lose its branches?  I believe I'll miss that bothersome old tree.......  

From Head to Toe........

...Or should I say, "From Adam's Apple to Just Below My Navel"?  Let me explain...

I know this photo doesn't mean anything to you.  In fact, it's ugly.  I took it yesterday because I wanted to tell you a story. Our master bathroom walls were in desperate need of a face lift. The towel rack was falling off, and needed to be secured every time a towel was hung on it.  A cover to an exhaust fan had adhered to the ceiling, and when it was time to pull that cover off, part of the outer layer of the drywall came with it.  The baseboards had separated from the walls.  In order to paint the bathroom walls, the medicine cabinet needed to be removed and this photo represents what was behind it.  Of course, the set of hardware on top held it in place.  The set of holes underneath are what makes the story retell worthy.  You see, twenty-five or so years ago, when I hung the medicine cabinet in the first place, I deduced that the best place to hang the mirrored knickknack was directly between the sink below and the light fixture above.  So I handily measured the area, marked where the holes needed to be drilled, inserted the anchors, hung our new treasure, and prepared to admire myself in our new mirror. Unfortunately, the only way a mirror that hung midway between the sink and the light fixture would work is if I wanted to groom that area of my body between my Adam's apple and just below my navel.  Talk about disappointment! I remember calming down, removing the piece, and starting the process all over again.  The result was a stepping stone in my becoming a little handier than I was the day before, which wasn't very handy. This go around, though, I only had to take the medicine cabinet down, paint, and put it back up.  The whole project began when two full quarts of paint leftover from the living room project of the late eighties resurfaced in the basement, a revelation fitting for a cheap frugal handyman such as myself.  It's not the color you-know-who would have picked, but hey, it was free!  By now, I know to have the Advil ready and waiting, so with this project, there was no pain!  It's blessing counting time again......