Lumberjack Husband

It's always hard to photograph foliage, given the way photos are great at removing all depth. But if you look at the picture below at our new little maple tree, you'll see a tree behind it and to the right that is occupying the space and sunlight where I'd like new maple to grow:

 Here's a picture from the exact opposite side, behind the offending tree and, past it, to the maple.

It hasn't looked great pretty much ever, and was on our list to be removed. D figured it was small enough that he could handle it. It certainly wasn't big enough to hit our patio or house, and he was pretty sure he could angle it towards the empty lot where most of it could just lie there undisturbed until he could carve it up. You'll note that back in 2012, I blogged that D did not know anything about cutting down trees and he didn't have the right tools. Apparently very little has changed.

He had a hand saw. A tiny hand saw. Tim the Toolman Taylor he is not. And yes, I made a 20-year-old reference. He did not let that stop him:

He cut a triangle in it in the direction he wanted the tree to go, which he learned thanks to some youtube videos and google searches:

The tree had other plans, falling exactly opposite the direction he wanted and towards the swing set (fortunately still a few feet off). By the time it was close to falling, he knew which way it was going to go and we stood appropriately out of the way. He quickly sawed off all the branches and dragged them to the curb for pick-up.

He's now slowly chopping through the trunk whenever the mood strikes him (and when the weather is not 100 degrees), taking it apart piece by piece.

Here's a before and after view from upstairs - the maple is hidden behind the tulip tree occupying the left side of the screen. I circled the part that changed.

And for an action shot:

I failed to mention perhaps the most important part of this post. When did this awesome guy choose to conquer nature with a tiny hand tool? Father's Day! Maybe next year I should buy him a chain saw...