I've been noticing and worrying about the way this weeping birch was leaning for years now, so Dayle called a tree company and they gave us a bid that was 1/3 what we expected... so they showed up yesterday and got to work. This is the BEFORE photo.
There were 5 guys bustling about moving potted plants and clearing the way for the job. One guy climbed up the tree with a running chainsaw.. and would tie a rope to a limb, then cut it, then drop the chainsaw, still running.. on a rope, then swing the limb down while the other guys caught it and fed it into a running chipper! The gutter on the garden shed took a hit..
Look at this guy literally "out on a limb"!
Can you see how the tree is leaning? See the guy climbing up?
When I see these photos and how much the tree is leaning, I am so glad we had it taken down before the East Winds begin to blow. If it blew down, it would have crushed the shed and possibly the deck and our house.
This tree was literally in the middle of everything.
Limb by limb...
See him out on the limb on the left.. wow.
Almost done with the limbs.. then he began cutting the tree down in 3 foot sections and tossing them down for the guys to pick up and load in their trucks.
Hello!
After! More sky, more light, less scary leaning tree!
The pond area is so much more open now! We are going to call the pond company to get a bid for them to enlarge the pond and make it deeper - the fish have a better chance of survival if the pond is deeper - the blue heron and the raccoons will have a harder time eating them if they have deeper hide-y holes.
Dayle made another of his specialties last night for dinner - Sweet & Sour Meatballs! It was so good!
He serves it over a bed of rice.. and sorry I didn't get a photo of my plate all pretty and ready to eat.. but I ate it before I remembered! :-)
The boys liked it! You can see Dayle liked it as his plate is scraped clean. :-)
The sun was peeking through this morning and we are getting a lot more light in the house now. The guys are back this morning grinding the stump up. I'm about to head out to meet my friend Shirley for lunch before we volunteer at Multnomah Falls this afternoon. For new readers or those who missed it, our son and his wife and our 2 grandsons, 4 & 5, are living with us now, for a month so far. His job (which he still has) cut and cut their wages and hours and medical and retirement to the point that they could not keep their home. We're enjoying getting to spend more time with them all, and especially our little grandsons. OK, off I go. Do you have any big weekend plans?
((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Wow! That tree was tall. And, really leaning. It must have been fun and interesting to watch it being cut down. And, maybe a little nerve racking. lol Your yard looked great before but I love the more open look of it now too.
ReplyDeleteOh, that tree was leaning a lot! I'm so glad you were able to get it taken care of. I love to watch tree people work, it's fascinating to me. They can have even a big tree gone really quick when they know what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteWow Teresa, That looked pretty scary, so tall and high. Good to get taken care of for light and safety. Yummy cooking going on too.
ReplyDeletexoRobin
I think that was very sensible to have the tree felled Teresa, it would certainly have caused some damge if the winds got a hold of it. Enjoy the extra light and the upcoming weekend, Jane x
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how high that guy climbed. I feel like I have vertigo just thinking about it! Those meatballs look delicious. :)
ReplyDeleteWould love to see Dayle's recipes! And...SO much more light for you guys!
ReplyDeleteWow I don't like heights. I could not of watched them. Shame about the tree but it would of surely of fallen down sooner of later. Enjoy having your family staying with you. Looks like you all really enjoyed your meal.
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
You know what I'm going to ask, don't you? Hee-hee...can I have that recipe pretty please? Do you hate me for always asking? ;) I may have it if it's the grape jelly and chili sauce recipe? Just let me know if it is...no need to send.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so different without that tree!! I was surprised at how opened up it looked without it. I guess I expected there to be something behind it. You did the smart thing having it taken down, although it's sad to see a big 'ol tree gone forever. It looked like it was on its way out (or down) anyway. Looking forward to what y'all do with the pond.
Oh. my. Goodness. I'm terrified of heights so I probably couldn't even have watched this tree come down. It is interesting though to see how they do it so methodically. So much more light for you and for the fish! We're on our way to Portland tomorrow! Yippee! One more week before our lunch. I'm so looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
I know you had to cut it down but it makes me so sad. That tree was glorious, dangerous but really beautiful. I love trees and always feel bad even when I see them getting trimmed. I know I am a nut.
ReplyDeleteDo we get a recipe for those meatballs?
Hugs,
Meredith
Always sad when trees have to go but we had to have the two large Copper Beech trees taken down.
ReplyDeleteBet is was fascinating watching the process.
Dayles stew looked yummy.
Sorry to read about the problems your son & wife have had. Heartbreaking for them. However you are getting to spend some lovely time with them all. They too are lucky to have you both as I'm sure they know.
Times are difficult for so many. I do hope that e onomies will start to improve.
Hugs Anne x
Wow, Teresa, that guy was up really high! Great photos! Your meatballs look divine!
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! What a process and what a difference the tree's absence makes! You did such a great job telling the story, Teresa. I am wondering if there will be more water coming over the Falls since it has been raining over the last few days. My plans for the weekend are crochet, crochet, crochet, go to church, crochet, crochet, crochet... :) But then I could go to the Teddy Bear Parade in Gresham and the Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, too. Ahhhhh decisions decisions. Hope you and yours have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteGracie xx
Fantastic pictures of the tree removal. Those guys are amazing eh? We had 2 large ones removed
ReplyDeleteand I was in awe with how they go about their job ☺
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
ReplyDelete2 lbs ground beef
4 (or more) TBS bread crumbs (Italian seasoned is what Dayle uses)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
4 TBS butter
2 cans of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup
4 TBS brown sugar
8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS regular yellow mustard
2 TBS vinegar
2 small cans of crushed pineapple
Directions: Mix beef, crumbs, egg and salt together, roll into small meatballs (1 inch in diameter), brown in frying pan until cooked through, drain on paper towel.
Cook the green pepper and onion in butter until tender, stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, add the meatballs into the sauce and pour all into a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While it is baking, cook 2 cups (raw) rice, and to serve the meatballs over the rice.
Thank you Teresa! Dayle needs his own cooking blog where he can share his recipes!!!
DeleteThank you Teresa! I wish my husband (or I for that matter) could cook like Dayle!
DeleteThe Kasner house seems to be all a buzz with activity. Are you sure those guys were human, they seem to be part monkey, up in the tree like that, it gives me the hebe geebees , oh my. It is amazing how the removal makes it look different. I am sure the light will brighten everything up, but in summer you will no doubt miss the shade. Of course you won't miss the worry over the possibility of the damage a fallen tree would have caused. That Dayle, heavens, was he a chef at one time? His meals look yummy....he is a keeper, lol. Now forgive me, I had to back track on your posts and see that you have been resorting to the jelly bribe with the little guys. I laughed at that one. For my grandson it is "raisins", he loves them and I buy those tiny little boxes as his treat. You never saw such little fingers working to get the very last raisin out of the box. He has yet to figure out that he doesn't need grandma to get it out for him, all he has to do is to open the other end of the box, lol. Your blanket for your grandson will be pretty, love the colors. With Winter right around the corner it should get plenty of use. Hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDelete(((HUGS))) Susanne :)
Wow, what a big job to cut that tree down! It did look like it was precariously leaning though. We have had lots of trees cut here, and always love to watch the process. Those guys are awesome!
ReplyDeleteYour "chef" sure does make me hungry!!!
XO Kris
You forestalled my question about your grandsons being always in your pics these days:) I am sorry that the reason behind it is not really happy, but yea, this way you can spend more time with your son and grandsons :) Hope things get better soon! Glad you got rid of that birch, it could be a real threat to your house. Have a nice day and take care!
ReplyDeleteThat was really interesting! We've cut down trees before at our house, but I was wondering how the pros do it when a tree is really close to a structure. Regarding your pond and increasing the depth of it, that has really helped us protect our fish. Another thing we do is have plants in the pond itself, but I am not sure if that would work for you. I know ours use it as a cover protecting them from those big, bad (but oh so breathtaking to watch) heron.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend. Am hoping we get some sun sightings despite the rather gloomy forecast.
Blessings,
Aimee
I loved looking at the photos of your scary tree being cut down. Our plans for the weekend include having the beech tree in our garden cut down. It was here when we moved in 12 years ago and has grown too big. As it was planted close to the garden wall, we've noticed a few cracks appearing in the mortar, so it's got to go.
ReplyDeleteEven though I go climbing being a tree surgeon still looks like a really scary job!! Good thing you had it taken down safely though, like you said imagine if it blew down :o x
ReplyDeleteWow. What a difference! Looking at the leaning...I would be with you!! I don't think I could have slept, either, in a strong wind! Oh my...what a worry! You'll find your other plants thrive more now that they have more light! Supper looks great too. Joan
ReplyDeleteWow Teresa...such a very tall tree!!...It's sad that it had to go but I definitely think you did the right thing as it could have caused untold damage in strong winds...you can sleep peacefully now!
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend,
Susan x
P.S Dayle's Sweet & Sour Meatballs look delicious!
After watching that tree-demolition-by-photo all I can say is "phew". You just don't realise they are growing so quickly, one minute our walnut tree was 12 foit, now it is as tall as the hous!
ReplyDeleteI have set myself one task for my return visit to Yarndale (today was wonderful!) and that is to get a photo of me with Lucy saying "hi" to you. I will give her your best wishes.
Carol xx