Goodbye Shade Tree

On Labor Day we decided to cut down the ginormous willow/weed tree in our back yard.

This tree was fabulous for shade but had grown heavy and  two of the main branches had cracked so it was time for it to go!

Before:

 It was a large "project" and fortunately, we had the needed help of family and a neighbor with the clean-up and mess...and what a "mess" it was!

The picture below is what we warn little boys against doing....seriously, do not climb atop a high ladder with a chainsaw and hang precariously while cutting branches.

I finally had to stop watching and resort to the safety of closed blinds so I wouldn't have a heart attack- after a quick check to confirm the insurance policies were current....

In the picture below, Ryan mentioned he could see over our entire street from that view. Yikes!

Blessedly, no major accidents but as one brother-in-law mentioned, "Ryan must be good with God because that's just crazy!"

It took an entire day and 6 yards of chipped wood to the dump before the task was complete.

The next step is the grind the trunk and roots but that can wait a bit.

Those branches too large to fit into the chipper are cut and neatly stacked against the backside of our house.

Firewood, anyone? We certainly don't need it!