All I Can Say Is OMG!

 I heard the buzzing of a chainsaw, a tractor scurrying back and forth, and a wood chipper this morning, and this was after we spoke with our neighbor yesterday, who had hired a crew of tree trimmer and topper fellows to take out some of his trees to improve his view from his home which sits above us, down into the valley below and across the the mountains.

 So, I went outside and asked the tree fellas exactly which of our trees were being removed today and they said that as far as the cedar area that all of them were being removed,

and I cried OH NO NO NO NO NO.

We had discussed with the neighbor yesterday that we would be willing to take out the tall scrubby pine trees, which by the way my husband completely dislikes. but we had made no agreement to take out the cedar trees that stand within the mix of trees in the particular piece of OUR land that we had discussed with the neighbor.

 An so, I told the trimmers that I was the land owner. (since my husband is out of town) and that they are to only take out the pines and leave the cedars.

 Can you imagine the horror had I been away also and then come home to NO TREES on the west side of our property?

 The trees provide privacy on that side of our property, are healthy trees, and the birds love them.

Cardinals, robins, hummingbirds, brown thrashers, pileated woodpeckers, they ALL have appeared in this grove/stand of trees on a constant basis throughout the four seasons of the year.

 Now it's raining off and on, and the trimmers are gone to lunch and to take a haul of mulch from our trees to the company they sell it to.

I am 

SO GLAD I WAS HOME THIS MORNING!

Misunderstandings can happen often between neighbors, but I don't think our neighbor heard what we were saying yesterday.

He would have had the entire grove cut down, taken away our privacy factor and also it dulls the sound of the other neighbor driving up their rock driveway.

Sheesh!

Oh, now I hear their chainsaw going at it again.  Five more trees to go and that's all I will give to improve the neighbor's VIEW!

Trees For Peace

 Over the week-end my husband worked outdoors.

It's one of the things he loves best, is cool, breezy weather (as do I) and not being cooped up behind his desk in his home office.  Oh, he loves his consulting work, but being outdoors is his love.

 I walked about the property and then up one of our neighbors' driveways to catch a glimpse of one of the mountain views.  This is not a view we see unless we walk up the their lane, or around and through our patch of cedar trees, and make a point to view it.  This is not an easy view to get to.  BUT, I do love it.

 While my husband was down our lane doing a bit of trimming of brush our other neighbor approached him.  They were doing some 'men chat'.  It's sort of like 'women gossip', but 'men chat'.  The neighbor asked my husband if we would consider cutting down a couple of our pine trees that are mixed in and amongst our cedar patch.  

Now, I LOVE our cedar patch, and since moving here we have lost a couple of the cedar trees to some sort of tree blight, which has thinned the patch a bit.  The cedar patch, by the way, gives us privacy on the west side of our yard, and keeps some of the hot late afternoon setting sun from beating down on that side of the house.  Taking out too many trees, even if they are a few scrubby pine trees, is not something I am really keen on doing.

 The neighbor's house sits up a bit higher than ours and he said that a couple of the pine trees in our cedar patch are blocking his 'view'.  I'd love to see his 'view' and know just how badly our trees are affecting his 'view', but he has NEVER invited us to even come onto his property in the two years we have lived here. 

It's a sensitive subject with me, since I ponder as to what happens when a few of the other trees in our patch grow taller and hinder the man's mountain view.  Are we then to keep cutting down trees simply to appease him?  How many trees have to fall in our forest to keep the peace in he neighborhood?

It's just that our planet needs trees!

He's an old man.  MUCH older than we are, but he looks very healthy... so no... that's not going to happen anytime soon.  You know what I mean?  LOL 

So, to cut down some trees for peace?

Or leave the trees?

What November Is Like

 When the fashionable orange and gold leaves of October hit the ground in November the reality of winter being on the way becomes very real.

 The world takes on a look of being barren and all you want to do is draw your coat a bit closer and your hat a wee bit tighter to the ears in order to keep the chill away.

 I had just purchased a new pair of shoes/boots for walking, finally a brand that I can wear and not limp by the time I reach the end of my walk, when the unnatural cold temperatures set in.

Temperatures of January and February in November.

This is not what any of us signed up for when it comes to the term 'autumn'.

 This is a home I pass by while walking our road.

It sits on a hill in all of it's contemporary glory.

 I have always been drawn to the look of a contemporary styled house and if this ever goes on the market I hope to be able to peek inside to see if it is worth bidding on or if it needs too many updates.

 This one sits directly across the street from the one story contemporary home, it's more a style that my husband loves... too many peaks on the roof for my liking and WAY TOO BIG.

But it could belong to you or me for $1.2 million dollars... at least that is the asking price.

AND  the golf course is directly across the street.

 But, back to talk of November.

We have no snow.

just icy temperatures

and new walking shoes for my feet.

 Today the plan is for me to go in search of a carpeting that would be appropriate and good looking on the basement stairs.

It's something to do on an icy day.

AND

everyone else will be at the mall

so I won't be tripping over baby strollers or whacked in the back of the legs with a shopping cart.

It's November,

time to strap on your shopping armor!

What's your plan for the day?