Cutting Down a Tree

This past Veterans Day, when it was like 60 degrees out, we should have been raking the 400000000 leaves in our yard but I was being a brat and didn't want to .  Of course Allen jumped on that opportunity and decided to cut that tree down that was bugging him.  Now he's taken a couple down in the past, usually I leave the house when he does it and remind him to have his phone handy so he can call 911.  This time, for some reason I stuck around, that will teach me.  Well, it was a comedy of errors, and thankfully our kind neighbor, Mike came over to rescue us or well, we'd probably still be out there.

It started simple enough, Allen used his chainsaw to cut a chunk out, tied his ride on lawnmower to the tree (yes you are reading correctly) and planned on pulling it down.  The oak tree had other ideas and while he was cutting flexed back and caught the chainsaw up so it wouldn't move.  This is around when Allen enlisted my help.  Bad idea.  He's going to cut from the other side, with some other saw while I drive the mower.  Only problem is you need to be 100 percent in the seat for the mower to move but I can't reach the brake unless I sit on the edge.  Switch over to the Jeep, Mike is now in the yard helping, they are cutting from all angles, several ropes are now hooked up and instead of falling over the stupid tree snaps and jumps foward. 

Now it's hung up on another tree.  Back to trimming branches, sections of tree, more ropes, saws, driving the Jeep (you should see the hole in our yard), it's getting dark, it's getting cold out, the thing won't come down.  Finally, finally, it falls over, lands on our wood pile, half sticking over the fence into Mike's yard.  Allen finished cutting it up and I went in the house.  Not of course before I took some pictures.  Need to preserve this moment in photographic history.

these are just a sampling of the leaves we should have been raking.  By the way, raked on Saturday for a few hours, did about 5% of the yard and filled 15 bags.

This is the hole in the yard.  Try not to step in it, I warned you all it's there.

The Jeep while still attached to the tree

The kids were not allowed on that side of the yard, though they tried several times to see what all the hubub was about.

This is the tree after it jumped off the stump and is caught up in several pine trees.  Allen is attempting to cut the branches so that it will finally come down

I think he's yelling at me at this point to stop taking pictures, that's it's not helping.  Really?  I think it did.