Friday, August 7, 2015

FMM - Everything Gets Trimmed

We have several beautiful post oak trees in our backyard, which were a big factor in deciding to buy this house, as we loved how they looked.  Well, 15 years later, it was time to get them trimmed.  OK, we really should have done it a few years ago, because they've been dropping dead limbs, and recently, a couple that fell that were really big and could have hurt us, had we been outside when they fell (as it happened, I was inside and thought for a split second that something huge had hit the house, that's how loud the crash was).  The thing with post oaks is that they're very sensitive - we found that out when the big tree in our front yard died a couple of years after we moved in.  Apparently their roots don't like it when trucks drive over them, and that happened when the concrete mixer trucks came in to pour the foundation.  It was a sad day when that tree came down.  Here's what it looked like in its glory:
 
Wintertime, so the tree was starting to lose its leaves, but you get the idea.

I said all that to explain why it took us so long to get the backyard trees trimmed - we were afraid of doing it wrong and accidentally killing them.  Eventually, I heard enough good things about a particular arborist and his tree trimming company, so I had him come out for an estimate.  Three weeks later, they came back for what ended up being a really interesting afternoon.  They started with a lift, which folded into a mere 36 inches in width, which was handy as it barely fit through our back gate.  The crew, both named Reagan, maneuvered the lift through the yard to the side of the house (you can click on any of these pictures to enlarge them and see the detail better):
This lift was designed in Italy, to work on the ceilings of all the tall churches there.  They modified it for outdoor use in America - it was really neat to see how it operated.

The Reagans (I can't help but think of the movie Office Space, when the main character said he had a meeting with "the Bobs") slowly walked around the yard and looked at all of the trees - I was impressed at how thoroughly they checked everything out, deciding where to make the cuts.  Then the trimming began - some of it was done while standing on the ground, using a tree saw, but most of it was done while high up in the lift:
While one Reagan was trimming the trees, the other Reagan was collecting everything that fell and bringing it to the curb.  He was also answering my questions about the operation, although I tried not to bother them too much.
 Way up high, with a chainsaw!
Still working away - there were a lot of dead limbs on this side.
 Pretty decent close up, considering I was taking these with my iPhone!

Afterward, I was really pleased to see that our trees still looked full and lush:
Part one of this project is done, yay!  Now onto part two, which is getting a roofer out to repair some of the tiles that were damaged by the tree branches touching them.

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In other trimming news, I got a haircut:
Before and after!   About six inches gone.

While I loved my long hair, the fact is that I just have a ton of it.  I'm not complaining - no thinning hair happening here, but it took sooo long to dry, much less DO anything stylish with it.  I wanted to have it look good on Thursdays, when I volunteer at the gift shop, but that morning is very rushed because I run before having to get ready, and I always felt like I looked very unkempt.  Plus I knew that if I got some of the length off, and layers put in, my natural waves would come back, so I had my hairdresser do her thing:
I love it, and feel so light, ahhh!  P.S.  Eagle eyes will spot Paco making his blog appearance in this shot.

I can still get it into a pony tail for running, so this cut meets all of my needs.  Plus, now I can curl it, if I want, without my arms getting tired!  Seriously, it used to take me about 45 minutes to curl my long hair with a curling wand, and if I used hot rollers, I had to do half my hair, then heat up the rollers again and do the other half.  Not kidding when I say I had a lot of hair!  I'm glad I did this.

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It's going to be a hot weekend, but that won't stop us - we've got a baseball game to go to tonight, and tomorrow morning we'll be running 6 miles.  I predict I'll feel 10 degrees cooler now that I've got less hair.  

Have a great weekend!

25 comments:

  1. I love your hair! I like it more now it's a bit shorter.

    What a job it was to trim the tree. I bet Paco was busy all day looking what those strangers were doing in his yard :)

    I have never seen your house completely as it's shown in the photo's and I love it.

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    1. If I was inside, Paco was watching/barking at them. But when I went outside to take pictures, he headed for my closet. I don't know if it's more of a comfort thing for him, or that he just gives up on life and goes to a (literal) dark place!

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    2. LOL, if Mom's not around he's a little bit of a cry baby.

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  2. Has Jeff noticed that beautiful new do?

    It must be nice to have those kinds of trees, especially in TX. Hopefully the roof repairs won't be too costly! Did the trimming bring you any sun into the back yard?

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    1. We have plenty of sun in the back yard, believe me...

      So Jeff was talking to me last night at dinner, telling me about one of his longtime coworkers who finally cut her hair (her was Crystal Gayle length) - and he said "it's shorter than yours now" and I said "oh really??" - THAT'S when he finally noticed! LOL for days...men!

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  3. Cute hair! I usually really notice my haircut for the first time when I wash it and am wondering where all the hair went. I see 2 Pacos:)

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    1. That first wash went so fast! And I ended up arriving at my volunteer job 10 minutes early (and that was with messing with my hair quite a bit) - I like not having to spend so much time on it!

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  4. Love your new cut! I would love to have really long hair but unfortunately it's not that flattering on me so I have to stick with around shoulder length.

    I understand the tree thing. We are having a landscaper come to do some trimming. Hopefully none of our will need to be removed. Have a happy weekend!

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  5. Your hair looks great!! I love that cut on you. :)

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  6. Love the hair! I has a nice wave to it.

    Good on you getting the trees done. I think everyone waits forever thinking it should get done until it ends up being too late and you have an insurance claim and the cost of a tree service.

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    1. The threat of El Nino coming this winter, along with the huge dead branches falling already, definitely made us want to get it done now. Hopefully we won't end up with a tree on our roof or through a window!

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  7. The new cut looks FABULOUS! And it looks like the Reagans did a great job with the trees.

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    1. Thanks! And yes, the Reagans were very good at what they did!

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  8. That was really interesting to see that lift, and how it operates. My tree guy doesn't have such a fancy contraption. But I'm not sure how he would trim trees like that. Anyway, gorgeous trees. And your haircut is fantabulous! I am growing my hair out, and its not quite as long as your new 'do. Its kind of driving me nuts now. I'll keep your picture in mind as inspiration to keep going :)

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    1. That in-between stage of growing out hair can be tough to keep your resolve. Hang in there!

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  9. Great job on trimming the trees. Love the new cut!! I got one very similar (a little shorter) about a month ago because I just couldn't take all the hair anymore. Feels good doesn't it? And it looks fabulous on you!

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    1. Thanks! It's so much cooler! And I discovered that there's writing high up on the back of a t-shirt that I bought last summer - LOL!

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  10. We've probably lost about six big trees since we have been in our house 14 years - so sad when they have to come down!

    Love the hair cut! I am back to all ponytail mode again, so I think I may need to get it cut again soon! Good luck on the six miles! I missed my running club this week when I was out of town so I have to catch up this weekend - we are still at 4 minutes walking, 2 minutes running - not bad at all!

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  11. Love your new hair!! You look wonderful! Losing a tree is an emotional thing! They are a part of our home even tho they are outside! Your house still looks beautiful with it gone.

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  12. Love your new hair!! You look wonderful! Losing a tree is an emotional thing! They are a part of our home even tho they are outside! Your house still looks beautiful with it gone.

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  13. Our whole neighborhood was pruned this year, thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer. This time, the village planted all different trees. But it looks so naked!

    Your hair looks great!

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  14. Nice haircut!
    Yikes, we just had some trimming done here and it is $$$. It looks like quite a job for Reagan2. Lots of firewood!
    I had repair workers here, & the 2 men introduced themselves as they came in the door.
    1st fellow: "hi, I'm John".
    2nd fellow: "hi, I'm Juan".
    I was trying not to laugh. It felt like I was being punked, but your company sure is funny! Doesn't seem real.
    I'm so sad with you all these years later about your beautiful tree!
    The back yard ones look nice.

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