Sunday, March 30, 2008

Sunday nite...

I'm volunteering tomorrow and Wednesday at the school I've been subbing for. It's special needs and it's hard to find people to that job...it pays less, as well. I don't sub on M&W, gotta get kid to school at 12:30. So, I'll just go in a few hours and be able to come and go when I need. I'll sub there probably the rest of the school year. I like the kids and the teachers. One teacher is a neighbor; her daughter has always had liver problems, had a partial donor a few years ago. She ended up in the hospital with emergency surgery and they found a mass on her liver; it's being biopsied. Please keep Felicia and her family in prayer. She is in college, and this is so hard for her parents. I can't imagine the anxiety over a sick child. Counting my blessings.

I got yet another letter from the scoutmaster. It's been 3 weeks since I got it and I just don't have it in me to answer. I asked them to stop, told them that it's OVER. They keep on. It's close to harassment. Then, I went ahead and filled out an application to re-join so I could help on Eagle boards and one of the contentious fellows sent me an email telling me all the hoops I have to jump through to get it filed with Council. I had to tell him that all Council needs is the app. I'm tired of their nonsense.

I'm having my trees in the back (the ones that caused all the problems last year) removed. It's been a painful and hard decision. The arborists (2 of them )told me that they were healthy last year. I had a guy come out from the same company look at them and he said they are developing some problems. They have been through a lot...excess pruning, french drains being put in (absolute necessity). I looked at them one day last week and realized that they are HUGE and nearing the end of their life cycle. They are around 26-27 years old. The average age for this type of Ash is about 30 years. They are problematic in that they drop leaves in the spring, branches, they are humongous for the size of our yard, and the bottom line is that I don't want them falling on anyone's property and harming anyone or anything. The tree guy agreed with me. Thanks, Connie, for not batting an eye when I suggested removing them--that really helped. Now, I just have to get through the upcoming thunderstorms and winds this week (I'm neurotic enough to fear them deciding to drop at the last moment!!) and feeling the nostalgic pangs of removing the trees my kids grew up on. Good news is, that even before this, neighbor and I have started getting along better. That's a relief. He will be happy they are gone, and I won't have to worry about liability or hazards any longer.

Have a great week! I've been absent, but I'm reading your blogs. Check in here and tell me how you REALLY are! Keep KB and Ann in prayer for all they are going through with her Baclofen (sp?) pump. Keep Helen and her family in prayer for some struggles. Let me know how to pray for you, too.

5 comments:

Missy said...

I'm so sorry about the trees, K! They are huge, and sounds like great reasoning to let them go. I am glad you didn't do it because of the neighbor, though - you would have resented him forever. Hopefully the improving situation with him can give you some encouragement that the scout thing will also pass. :)

Felicia, KB and Ann, and Helen will be in my prayers - you, too. I could use some prayers for my achy-breaky heart - I am very homesick right now.

Keep up the good work with the kids and have a terrific week!

kc bob said...

Ditto what Missy said about the trees. My backyard neighbor was going to removes about 19 trees on our property line a few years ago.. I was groaning.. fortunately she just topped them (after she got a bid for removal) and we kept the evening shade.. albeit shade came about an hour later.

Thanks for enlisted prayer for us. Tests today and surgery tomorrow.

Blessings, Bob

karen said...

Thanks, guys. You know we love trees. It's getting harder to think about...can't top them because that would weaken further and still would have the fear of them falling over. This seems to be the only solution--treeman says down the not too distant future we'd have to take them down anyway. This way, I can start work on my garden for real, and we will probably get a small live oak to put back there. There's no shade anyway because we pruned so much. One branch he said weighs probably around 1200 pounds! And it's over my kid's bedroom! I looked at how much they have grown in 4 years since we got Gracie. Incredible!

Michael Ogden said...

Glad to hear you're OK!

Anonymous said...

Karen,
Bless them (the trees) for the life and shade they have given you, and look forward to the new creative process of designing your backyard space. New life!
I am a Nebraska tree hugger. Don't know if it is something a warrior should admit, but it's true. I love big trees. too!
Go out and grieve them, bless them, thank them, hug them, say goodbye. Then welcome the new babies.{c;
...a time to be born and a time to die,
,,,a time to plant and a time to uproot Ecc, 3:2 NIV