Cutting Up Pine Number Three

May 23, 2025

Bruce gave the downed pines numbers based on how close they are to the house.

Pine number one is the leaning pine. It is closest to the house.

The broken pine is pine number two.

The large pine that fell over with the roots exposed is pine number three.

Bruce has started cutting off the branches on pine tree number three.

On Wednesday (May 21), it was a beautiful sunny day. We decided to look at the damage.

I thought you might enjoy seeing us in the pictures next to the pines for scale.

We measured the downed trees before Bruce started cutting. Pine tree three was 52 feet tall. Pine tree number two was 59 feet tall.

Bruce decided to start chainsawing the branches from tree number three.

Bruce was dragging the branches about twenty feet away.

In the afternoon, I came and dragged the branches another 30 feet away. The pictures show big branches twenty feet away, smaller branches twenty feet and the pile of branches 50 feet away, by the gate.

Bruce also mowed the backyard between bouts of using the chainsaw. He needed to take a break and cool off. Apparently, zipping around the yard on the mower creates some breeze, keeping him cool.

I spent most of the morning picking up sticks and branches that had fallen from the trees in the front.

I made a pile next to the burn circle out front. I wanted to see how big pile of branches fell.

Around sunset, we sat out on the porch. We enjoyed watching the bat flit about with the fireflies lighting up. As the evening darkened, Jupiter became visible. Mars also became visible and the stars slowly blinked into view.

On Thursday (May 22), I had PT. After getting some lunch out, we stopped by the RV to verify it was OK. When we got there, I reached into the glovebox to pull out the RV keys. Nope, they weren’t there. We spent some time searching for the keys. We didn’t find them.

Bruce got on the roof to confirm it was fine. I used the phone app to check the condition of the batteries and inside temps. All looked good. Bruce talked about going back to make sure the inside was fine.

Bruce didn’t do any chainsawing on Thursday. I finished picking up sticks in the front of yard, while Bruce mowed.

The sunset was gorgeous and we enjoyed weather while sitting out on the front porch.

Today (Friday, May 23), Bruce finished mowing the front yard. He found a turtle by the big pine. I went out and took some pictures of the turtle,

After Bruce finished mowing, the turtle headed back to the creek. We watched from the living room window as the turtle made its way across the grass. The shell reflected light some and it was interesting to see it shining in the sun.

I got to see a cardinal on the hanging platform feeder.

Bruce did some more chainsawing on pine tree number three.

After supper, we enjoyed the evening by sitting out on the front porch. The bat flew past the tops of the pines several times, the fireflies flashed their messages of love and the weather was perfect.

I am loving the Thermacell! It is keeping the mosquitoes away.