Musings
This might well be the money shot, right after the trunk and branch bases swung free of the house, carefully and safely. We saw a slight amount of additional, let’s call it settling, that happened as the behemoth came off the house, but only about what I had expected.
Note that this accomplishment was preceded by HOURS of hard work by a crew of three which grew to seven, then became about five, including the operator of the 70-ton crane that did the heavy lifting—and lemme tell you, just getting the massive dual front axle machine parked in the proper position makes mall parking look like a frolic in the park!
The guys got the trunk parked next to the house, like a cadaver awaiting an autopsy, as dusk fell, in the last light of day. The fellow who did the aerial chainsaw work was an artist. We are lucky.
Tomorrow: the final removal. Firewood anyone?
* Points to F for this term….
Posted at 10:27 PM |
2 Comments »
Hey, we were just talking about getting the gutters cleaned! Next time, let’s do it in a less dramatic way!
OR: How our plans for the next couple of weeks got changed….
PS We’re fine; our car was under the tree and appears to have only minor dents and is out from under. We’re waiting for a big crane to come for the tree removal.
Posted at 9:39 AM |
5 Comments »
I especially enjoy the longleaf pine: a) when they’re tall and majestic and resemble ponderosa pines; and, b) when they’re small, essentially poufs of needles above the ground (also called the grass stage).
Interesting that these’re at each end of the life cycle….
Posted at 6:12 PM |
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Given how many rodents populate the woods, and how much they like to chew on antlers (I guess for calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals, plus assistance with teeth-management), it’s rare to find one in this lovely, pristine, un-nibbled condition.
Posted at 5:18 PM |
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Here’s a hand-dug well abandoned in the woods of the piedmont. It’s about three feet across and was used during the early-to-mid-20th century.
NB: it’s only a bit more visible if you’re standing there.
Posted at 10:22 PM |
1 Comment »
Russian teething biscuits?
You decide.
On the shadowy shelf, I thought angry.
Here, greatly enlarged, I’m leaning toward surprised.
Posted at 2:03 PM |
1 Comment »
Some things just don’t translate*. Or what seems to be the obvious translation is just so wrong.
All I can say is: what the heck is “freakish sapor”?
Where are those literature people from northern Michigan? They were just here! After all, they might be able to explain this linguistic macaroni!
* Explanation only after application of sufficient quantities of red wine, and only then if you are willing to receive at most a fuzzy rendition.
Posted at 9:28 PM |
1 Comment »
Today turned out to be bird day at Piedmont Park. Actually, it’s been Bird Week.
The most exciting was this green heron (Butorides virescens), which we saw along with the usual assortment of ducks, some Canada Geese, and one huge great blue heron (looked bigger than the usual one). And robins, grackles, sparrows—all the urban-tolerant types….
Earlier this week we saw a pair of chickens busily foraging under leaves. Go figure.
Posted at 5:46 PM |
2 Comments »
Hey, it’s Cinco de Mayo, and this is the closest I’ll be to the Zona Rosa* today!
* The Zona Rosa is the business center of Mexico City, and one of the hubs of upscale-hip-urban/urbane-partying.
Now that I’ve read the Wikipedia entry linked above, I find that Cinco de Mayo is more a Puebla holiday than a Mexico City holiday. Oh, well. Drink up anyway! I’m sure they’re partying out on Buford Highway!
Posted at 5:55 PM |
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Gorgeous. Droplets are courtesy of an automatic irrigation system that should not have been activated. Perhaps I should call The City and turn the homeowners in. Maybe they’ll be fined. As is appropriate in this time of drought (for the last year we’ve been under water restrictions) and reasonable current spring rainfall. It rained just yesterday, as a matter of fact.
Of course, these homeowners might be like the lady I talked to in the Park today who told me that it was okay for her to run the water in the water fountain as she waited for it to get cold(er)—although that fountain always has warmish water in warmish weather like we’re having now—because the water going down the drain was a good thing because…and here’s where I could no longer follow her logic.
People are nuts.
Posted at 6:23 PM |
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