Landscaping

We had a big day here at casa de Chamberlain. It was time for the Bradford Pear tree to go. It had survived many ice and wind storms, but it was just not doing well. It had sprigs of mistletoe growing in places. The upper branches were dry and nearly leafless. Overall, it was just not a happy tree.

My friend Rob brought his family and his chainsaw over for breakfast and tree-cutting. We enjoyed some creme brulee french toast and then got to work. Felling the tree was pretty trivial, but of course collecting all the wood was not. Being a miser, I saved it all. I'm looking forward to many campfires with the small logs and sticks we got from the tree. I'm also looking forward to some good fires in the fireplace with what I can split off of the trunk.

The really hard work came from busting up the stump. However, we managed to break it up with axes and mauls. I got some topsoil in the hole and planted some grass seed with Noah's help. We got that done just before the rains came today. It's supposed to be rainy for a good part of the week. I think that will make our grass seed perfectly happy though.