Fall Cleaning

My neighbor has one of those long-handled pruning tools that are so handy for reaching branches when you’re too old for climbing trees and the ground is too uneven for a ladder. He’s also been quite happy to loan that to me and I’m all about making my neighbors happy. So, on a gorgeous September Saturday, I borrowed his pruner and made myself happy cutting back the overhang that hid the hostas and shaded the coleus and other things that Randa has planted on the bank behind the house. That process generated so much serotonin that I became downright giddy. It had to be giddiness that led me to start using the twelve-foot-pruner to remove dead limbs and branches from the huge oak tree in the front yard.

 The combination of the ice storm in December of ’07 and the inclinations of oak trees to sacrifice frequently to the wind gods had left a lot more debris in the tree than I had ever noticed. By the time I finished pulling and prodding on everything I could reach, I had a sore neck and a yard covered with dead branches. By occasionally climbing up into the back of the truck and stomping around, I was able to pack all of it into one load.

 The ornamentals growing on the bank will now get more diffused sunshine and there should be an increased level of safety in passing by underneath the oak tree. Pruning out the undesired growth and getting rid of what is dead and decaying is always a good thing to do. Especially at prayer time.

 H. Arnett

9/15/09