Board Feet of Lumber

"People in suburbia see trees differently than foresters do. They cherish every one. It is useless to speak of the probability that a certain tree will die when the tree is in someone's backyard...You are talking about a personal asset, a friend, a monument, not about board feet of lumber." Roger Swain.

We live in the middle of a city, but I think the sentiment is the same.

The first of a series of unhappy events took place today. We have ash trees in our yard which are barely clinging to life and one especially has become a threat to our home and our neighbor's house in the event of high winds or ice storms. It had been struck by lightning and was diagnosed with "a crack in a major crotch with significant dead wood above it" according to an arborist we consulted. The tree was over 80 feet tall and the trunk was 35 inches in diameter.

I was at home for the last half of the felling and the whole house would shake as the limbs hit the ground.

To the cats this was an armageddon. They hid in the basement most of the time then skulked along the outer edges of any room when they gathered enough courage to leave their hiding places.





(The beige house is the neighbor's.)

(And notice how I quoted the arborist as saying "crotch," as if to disassociate myself from the word. Do arborists feel weird using a term that many people normally reserved for describing specific parts of a body or the specific parts of underwear or jeans/pants/shorts that cover that part of the body? Do they ever laugh inappropriately when using the term? I probably would. I'll resist the juvenile impulse to continue my musings on the subject. Although I must say I didn't realize the tree and I shared a common physical attribute - a major crack in our crotches. OK, I'll stop.)

There are 2 more trees that will have to come down which means no mature trees on our lot. Now we need to decide what to plant. I would like some variety in species and of color in fall - so maybe a sugar maple and an oak and maybe one that grows relatively quickly, but lasts longer than an ash. Any suggestions?

Procrastination

Another project is finished. It was easy travel/meeting knitting. It languished through the winter and spring after I lost track of the 3rd ball of yarn - which was found yesterday.

A night of trashy TV viewing was all that was needed to complete it.

It's the Farrow Rib pattern from The Little Box of Scarves made out of Frog Tree Chunky Alpaca - bought on sale, of course. If I remember correctly, it was 1/2 off.





Is this finishing thing becoming a habit?

I hate to cast aspersions on myself but I'm not as virtuous as that. It was an act of procrastination to avoid cleaning the house. Of course, it's easier to justify my procrastination with knitting than if I had spent the evening eating a carton of Ben and Jerry's and reading trashy novels. "Look, I completed something worthwhile - even while ignoring my other responsibilities!"

I had lots of help taking photos of the scarf.



Now what can I start in order to avoid finishing all the other WIPs?

Monday

Now it feels like autumn.

When I was a child, I enjoyed being in the classroom on a day like this - the sky overcast and gloomy - the rain a steady drizzle all day - the kind of day that makes you glad to be inside - the first day of the school year when recess is spent indoors in the gym.

Monday was a 12 hour work day...a good portion of it spent on the road.





Thank heavens for podcasts...my preferred alternative to the limited choices of radio stations in the rural areas of the state.

I should have avoided knitting last night - the 4 rows I knitted had to be ripped back.

And somebody please stop me the next time I plan to knit with cotton. I think I'm getting a blister on my thumb from the yarn.

Spring Into Autumn

In an abrupt turnabout from the startitis which has run rampant in the Stash Haus, I have actually finished a project.

When I picked this up again I couldn't remember why I hadn't completed it - there were only about 3 inches left to knit. Well, I soon remembered. The Estonian Lullaby Baby Blanket was an unfinished project for so long because of the fiber - cotton. I usually knit with yarn that has a least a percentage of wool in it. The cotton is really unyielding and hard on my hands. I found that when I picked this up again in August, I could only work about an inch before I had to put it down again and give my hands a rest.

I love the color - a mint green that reminds one of spring, Easter, new growth after a long, cold winter - that does not photograph well in the autumn light. The pattern wasn't difficult. I'd like to try this pattern again - perhaps in a washable wool or other baby-friendly fiber that is easier on the hands and better suited for the "Scalloped Lace Border" option on the pattern. I'm glad I didn't attempt it with the cotton.





In the meantime, I've got enough of the cotton for another blanket - so I've started the 2nd one for another friend whose baby is due in December. Maybe with a deadline the 2nd blanket won't take a year to complete.

However, the cats were doing their part to slow up progress.



On the homefront, I have my camera back. Funny how lost I felt without it - that's the fault of having a blog, I think.

The new furnace has been installed - and what a difference. The old furnace was high efficiency for 15 years ago. The new furnace keeps the house feeling very warm when set at temperatures in the low 60's. At this temperature with the old furnace, you would shiver if you sat near any window, feeling the drafts - and it's impossible in this house to avoid sitting near a window. I don't know how much of a cost savings we shall see in our heating bills this winter.

Maybe enough for a few extra yarn purchases?