The Sound of Trees

I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that, that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the restless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.

Robert Frost




































































Since my computer was updated with Microsoft Explorer 9 I cannot figure our how to post captions ***between*** photos, and so, I'm making one paragraph here at the end. These photos show the old, rotting alders in the overgrown part of the yard out by the road. Little by little we took out dead branches and then finally Daryl was able to take out the trunks. Since utility lines are hanging on both the road side and the yard side, it was very, very tricky to get these alders to fall without hitting the lines or the pink flowering dogwoods (which have already survived deer abuse which is why they have little fences around them). At one point Daryl tied a rope to the trees and then tied the rope to the truck, so that when he cut, the tree would fall exactly toward the truck, it was nuts, and I'm glad we both have health insurance! Once everything was down we chipped the branches right back into the space and used it for mulch. I had about 20 unhappy heathers planted around the house and thought they might be happier in this new space, so, they were moved and two rhodies, as well. It is so much nicer now looking out toward Squalicum, Lookout, and Stewart Mountains in the background and we feel less closed in. Daryl is happy that every time the big winds blow he no longer pictures the rotted, top heavy trees falling over onto the lines or crushing the garden shed he built.

The other tree we saved in this space is the elderberry and filbert trees which we are told are over 60 years old. The salmonberry also benefitted and will probably grow thicker, which is great, since deer won't walk through it and hummingbirds love it.

We worked hard for weeks! and the sunset photos show what prompted us to take a break at the end of the day. Daryl would have kept working if I hadn't pulled the chainsaw out of his hands! And the dog made sure to keep his favorite sticks out of the burn pile and away from the chipper. Now, on to the next project!