how the mighty have fallen

Our backyard was once graced with a magnificent Elm tree. It was really remarkable and covered most of the sky over our yard and our neighbor's yard.

But we knew our days with the elm were numbered as branches kept dying and the tree wasn't looking healthy. So we got estimates, hired a crew and set a date. On the removal day, we learned that it was indeed dying from Dutch Elm disease.

What an interesting and risky job it is to cut down ginormous trees. I was entertained all day.

Just before limbs started coming down... about 8am.

See the ominous looking chipper in our driveway?

These guys dodged falling branches and then fed them to the hungry chipper.

This dude was up in the tree, swinging around on ropes while holding a chainsaw. That's easy right?

The dishes rattled in their cupboards as each hunk of tree came down.

Picker!

It's almost down! Look at all that sky...

Bert reads Harry Potter as logs fall from the sky.

And then finally...

It is finished. And we have a fence to repair.

While they were at it, they cut down an evergreen in our front yard for good measure.

"the year of the hosta"

Bert called it this, and I agree.

We have received lots of generous hosta donations this year and Bert helped me dig them in to their new homes in our yard. It's so refreshing to have lovely green plants growing that I won't be obligated to maintain. Plus, if we have good stuff growing, then we don't have as much room for weeds. (Isn't there a spiritual parallel to that too?)

dwell

I like the word dwell. It has a good feel to it.

And it lives in a lot of interested Bible verses like:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6

But for now I physically dwell in my own house.

Sometimes interesting things happen around here, which is why I feel blog-writing-inspired this morning. It will most likely be pretty random until kids come into our lives someday. Then this may turn into the keep-the-family-updated tool, as is useful to many people I know. But until then, and it will be a while, this is just for my scratchings on life and dwelling in the place the Lord has given me.