One branch at a time!

Over the weekend I began something I have been threatening to do for several years.  I began cutting out the humongous rhododendron bush outside this office window.  The one that’s been home to wild cats over the years.  It’s gotten so big that I could easily walk into it, and maybe not make it out.  Now, that doesn’t necessarily help with cutting it out ~ it’s a big project. 

So I started cutting branch after branch of this monster and laying them to the side.  This means not only do I have a monster of a flowering bush but have begun a monster pile next to it.  I didn’t really give a lot of thought to what I will be doing with the branches as they come out.  If they go on the burning pile, well, that’s on the other side of the house.  I have never driven the tractor around in the yard but I may have to learn for this one. 

The tractor is one of those “this is mine” things.  I mean, I guess I could go out there and start the old thing up and back it out of the barn but I just don’t think it would be looked upon favorably.  Now, I talk about that like we are on 100 acres of prime farm land..back out of the barn indeed.  Most of you know that is not true and I’m talking John Deere lawn tractor here.  But, there is the backing up thing, never one of my strongest driving skills, and besides the cart is not attached so I would also have to figure that out.  Not going to happen. 

What will happen instead is, even though he wasn’t ready for this project quite yet, hubs will have to hook up the cart to the tractor and haul my branches around for me.  Thrilled he was when he came up from a short boat ride and saw I had started the hacking of the branches.  As we stood looking at the bush following my 30 minutes or so of hacking, and barely a dent made in this thing, I saw bees swarming everywhere.  How I didn’t get stung is beyond me but it became obvious the bees were coming home for the evening and my branch cutting was over for the day.  And, I was hot. Thirty minutes of work is good for one day, right?   

I am headed out there again in a short while to invest an hour of my day in branch cutting.  I guess I'll drag some branches down to the burning pile in the little wheelbarrow.  I hope the bees are out on their dailies!