Wednesday, January 1, 2014

new year. new air.

"trees are poetry
the earth writes
 into the sky"

~kahil gibran

i love trees.

that is a picture of me hugging a tree...
down there on the end of my side bar....

so it was after great thought and consideration,
that mr. dan and i decided to have 5 large trees removed from our front yard yesterday.

this big old one
 was starting to lean precariously towards the street.

and the hack berries, elm and ash were particularly messy...
 with their leaves, seed pods, twigs and sap...
 which were ruining my roof and constantly clogging the gutters.
and causing mr. dan and i to curse them
 every time the wind blew and scattered their  debris....
which made more work for us.
lots of work.

after 12 years living in this house
 and watching these trees grower taller and taller and filling in the sky
and becoming more of a nuisance....

we made the hard
hard
decision
to let them go....
and it was hard.
did i mention it was hard?

although,
mr. dan quite enjoyed the 8 hours of noisy chainsawing and grinding.
he is such a guy.
a cute guy, i must admit.

later, he prepared our fire pit for our annual new years eve campfire.
as you can see, we still have lots and lots of trees out back!

my rather disturbing view out the kitchen window.
i was surprisingly emotional about this whole ordeal....

and yet at the same time
 excited about the change and extra sunshine.

and just like that....

GONE.

so,
i am looking forward to a

new year
and
new air
and
 new sky
and
new sun
and
new flowers!


and all the
 potential 
a new slate
 and new canvas
has to offer.

i believe in looking forward...

always forward 

and
 2014
is looking really good.

happy new year!

erin


12 comments:

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Yes, sometimes trees can become major hazards.
Sure hate to see those bitter cold temps returning tonight.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

You know what? Good choice, erin. This past spring, dozens upon dozens of old trees came down during a terrible storm and thank goodness, did no damage to property or people, BUT, it happens a lot here. It is stunning to see how these trees are so "easily" uprooted and topple over when the earth gets soaked. Your gorgeous home is much safer now, and you too!

May the forward movement of your vision for the new year bring a new view of your surroundings! I particularly prefer sunshine to shade myself!

Happy 2014!

Custom Comforts said...

So sorry to hear you took down your trees, but I do understand. I have lots of trees too and I worry every time it storms. Fortunately every time big limbs come down, the neighbors grab them up for firewood. I love my trees, but I would so love more light in my house and I envy you. Some day, they will have to come down, but until then, I will enjoy them and pick up after them.
Happy New Year.
Cindy

Seawashed said...

I live in a cottage that is only 7 yrs old and we keep planting more trees! Redwoods We get intense sunshine in our backyard but we are planting them mostly for privacy because our city is trying to rezone the wetlands behind us for building more homes :(. We love our land behind us. I bet you feel a bit exposed right now with your trees gone but you will get used to it and love that sunshine.

It's me said...

Happy new year Erin !!!...love from me...x !

Stacey said...

Cutting down trees is the hardest thing ever!! I totally understand. You will be better off for it though..just look at how pretty the view is now.

Lin from A {tiny} Cottage In The Woods said...

Wow! It truly is a difficult decision.

We removed many old pines growing too close to where we built the house... and yet, now the aspen are growing in and we have shade in the summer, sunshine in the winter, and less to worry about during fire season.

I cannot wait to see what you decide to do with this sunny new space, Erin!
Happy New Year!
Lin

Debbie Nolan said...

Dear Erin - I can imagine what a hard decision that was but you will have lots more sunshine. I live in a woods and our trees are so tall and huge that I get concerned when storms come. So far though God keeps us and our home safe. Take care and have a wonderful New Year. God Bless!

Cobalt Violet said...

So hard! But it's horrible to imagine what could happen with it leaning …
New beginnings …
Happy New Erin!!! Hope you are doing great!!!!

Chrisy said...

Yes it's difficult to remove any tree but can see how hazardous they were becoming. Your home is beautiful!

KarenB said...

Ooh, now you have more sunshine and can plant new things! It helps to look at the bright side, right?

Unknown said...

Trees are really great to have in the yard. It’s just disappointing that it can also cause damage to your roof and gutter. It’s really difficult to let it go, but it’s a wise move, in my opinion. Think of the peace of mind you’ll have, knowing that a big branch won't fall down and cause you tons in repairs.

Paul