Jun 16 - around the house

Art came over early and we got the concrete mixer out of the shed and I hauled it over to his place with the 4-wheeler.  He's going to pour a pad next to his garage sometime over the next couple of months; if I need the machine in the meantime (or Jason), we'll get it back from him.

That takes one thing out of the shed, which is in mortal danger of being pulverized by the top half of the yellow birch, broken off half-way up with the rest of it's branches tangled with hemlocks and pines. 

I brought the ladder down, the big one with the adjustable length feet that David installed (they are a wonder), and trimmed the branches just below the break with the reciprocating saw and put a loop of rope around the base of the broken-off part. 

The next step in the process is to winch it towards the house off its tall stump and hopefully have the thing fall between the shed and boathouse without taking either one out.  There's not much that I can do if that happens; there's no way to do anything with the tree up close.  The only thing that could have been done, before it broke off, was drop it towards the hill, but we're long past that.  Art is going to come over this morning and help / provide a second opinion as I take this the next step.

Emma had a good time with the bubble maker but it's a better toy for a group of kids, rather than one.  It only has one speed -- fast -- and puts out clouds of bubbles, quickly going through its reservoir.  I'll have to remember to bring it out when all the kids are here at the end of July.

I went into town to pickup the mail; I now have a dump key.  I also stopped at Home Hardware for a couple of chain links (I've got the swing up for Emma) and Buchanan's for gas, filling a couple of jerry cans.  

Oh yes, I ran the DR weed mower again; wish there was an easy way of tackling the hill beside the kitchen but I guess that I'll have to use the hand-held to get to the steepest parts at the top, which is very difficult.  The only other way, and I'm still cogitating on this, would be to have a rope tied to a tree up there so that I could walk parallel to the  bank with the DR ... or ... if there was someone walking along the bank parallel with me ... which is a thought.  Going down or up the hill isn't practical; winching it up and down would work but it would take a long time !

The DR did a wonderful job on the area over the septic as well as the irregular area across from the barn.  As usual, hindsight is 20-20; I should have paid the (significant) extra money for self propelled.

I think that's it ... onward !