THE WEATHER IS HERE ... WISH YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL

I'm going to try to answer the hundreds of inquiries I've received, questioning the lack of recent posts on this blog & why I have not been more active in writing.  [Okay ... it was only two people.  Both wanting to know if I was "sick ??".  Guess they though they were in my Will.]

The answer is that it is just too hard to sit at a keyboard & type when the weather conditions in central Arkansas have been mostly "ideal". Think temperatures in the low to mid-80's in the daytime & low-60's at night.  Add to that no rain & light breezes each day, under blue, cloudless sky's.  Much too nice outdoors ... to stay indoors.

Having written the above paragraph, I have to acknowledge the terrible conditions not far from here; Texas & Oklahoma, with the destructive winds & fires. (Also in Southwest Arkansas.)  Then much of my old stomping grounds in the Northeast has been inundated with floods from Hurricane Katia & Tropical Storm Lee.  The people up there -- especially from Pennsylvania/New Jersey northward -- have not been able to catch a break. And it will take them a long time to recover & rebuild.

So, blessed with GREAT weather here, I finally tackled a problem of my own: the large tree laying in the South yard which came down in a late-Spring near-tornado.  Not only did the tree come crashing to the earth, but it took with it, two HUGE Bradford Pears & two mature Leyland Cypress trees.  The total definition of ... "a mess".

 Since the effects of the downed & damaged trees were not totally visible from the road, along with the fact that I have been known to procrastinate a bit -- "Never put off until tomorrow, what you can put off until the day after." -- most of the mess has been on the ground through out the Summer. [Another reason not to jump into the clean-up project -- too hot !!]

 With the cooler temperatures, along with the fact that the county "Burn Ban" was removed -- having been in effect part of the Summer, due to our own dry & dangerous conditions -- I was "motivated" to start attacking the mess laying in the side yard.

 Along with the large pieces of tree trunk to be cut up & moved, there were also the limbs of the smaller trees -- many laying under the bigger trees -- which made it necessary to clean-up/cut-up the small debris first, to make the footing safe for my limbs when attacking the large parts of the big trees.

 All of this project -- which is still "on going" -- is time consuming, but somewhat enjoyable.  Much of what is being "cleared", is hauled to the back lot & burned at the fire pit, as I load up the cart & haul it there.

 Many of the larger pieces of trees end up being "stored" in the back lot, for burning later in the Fall.

Looking at these photos & knowing what I still have to cut-up & haul away, it makes me realize why my back & legs are sore most of the time.  Still, I am glad I can take advantage of the nicer weather to get on with this clean-up & I never lose sight of the fact that friends West & Northeast of here, have had their homes, cars & way of life ... destroyed. 

I have it easy & have been blessed. But still:

"THE WEATHER IS HERE.  WISH YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL"  --Jimmy Buffett