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I was all set to excitedly announce our March Challenges today and recap last month's challenge.
But... At 3:45am HandsomeJoe and I were awakened by a loud-house-shaking-BOOM!
Flashlights and a lamp on an extension cord showed us that the three dead trees next to our house, on the other side of the property line (we think) came down in the wind.
They were killed by invasive bittersweet before we moved in. We'd taken down all the others in the line that were farther from the house (Thanks Ben!) last fall but hadn't figured out how to safely take these down. We'd cleared the vines from our side but hadn't bushwhacked back to clear out the vines from our neighbor's side. Those vines might have saved our house. The cobra-like vines that killed the trees might have held on to their prey just enough to fell them clear of our roof as it's clear the closest trunk missed the corner by a foot at most.
I was all set to excitedly announce our March Challenges today and recap last month's challenge.
But... At 3:45am HandsomeJoe and I were awakened by a loud-house-shaking-BOOM!
Flashlights and a lamp on an extension cord showed us that the three dead trees next to our house, on the other side of the property line (we think) came down in the wind.
They were killed by invasive bittersweet before we moved in. We'd taken down all the others in the line that were farther from the house (Thanks Ben!) last fall but hadn't figured out how to safely take these down. We'd cleared the vines from our side but hadn't bushwhacked back to clear out the vines from our neighbor's side. Those vines might have saved our house. The cobra-like vines that killed the trees might have held on to their prey just enough to fell them clear of our roof as it's clear the closest trunk missed the corner by a foot at most.
The tree farthest to the right pulled up at the base revealing a giant divot of rotted and exposed roots.
We weren't sure how we were going to get these trees down or find the capital to pay someone with better experience.
Turns out The Powers That Be had other plans.
After about an hour of clearing with the help of our neighbor (check out his site for great videos of local wildlife including bobcats on Ryan Road here in Florence!) we were able to liberate some of the magnolia tree.
Looks like I'll be getting all the stumps I need to finish my gardens and do a few other projects I have in mind.
So grateful to have them down and not via our house.
Phew!
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