Monday, November 8, 2010

what grows up...must come down!

A long time ago, someone planted a row of poplar trees alongside the driveway over at the farmyard. It seemed a good idea at the time...a promise of shade for the farmhouse in the future.

The shade arrived soon...since poplars waste no time in stretching to the sky. And the leaves requiring clean-up increased in volume every year. The power providers informed us the trees were a hazard for the power lines...and they offered to remove the ones closest to the road. That looked after five trees...and made for a few less leaves. The last few trees of the row had to come out to make room for the bigger and better milk tankers a few years ago. That left fifty-one trees....that can not be ignored indefinitely!

There are businesses that will come out and top them...for a price.  That price times fifty-one seemed very high.

 
And so our son decided that with the help of a friend and his Genie...they would do it themselves. All day Saturday they played with chainsaws...

...and tractors.  And when they day was done...they were not quite done!
Emme and Spencer saw great opportunity in the mountain of logs that was accumulating out in the field.  Though 'teeter totters' can no longer be found on playgrounds in our area, we now have one out behind the barn.  Together with their neighbourhood friend...they built an amazing seesaw...complete with bumper pads for a soft landing. 

Nearby they had a teepee...



...and a campfire where they went to warm up!  (I could tell they had been on a Sto:Lo nation field trip recently.)


And when they were plenty warm...they rested on the bench they built.  Who knew those trees could provide  such pleasure? 

All we know is that the Lombardy poplars will continue to grow...and we can't ignore them!  And it seems there is no 'sure fire' way of getting rid of them.  For now...things are a little safer under the shadow of the trees.
Enjoy the day...

16 comments:

  1. Well, it looks like the children had fun whilst the poplars were being topped.
    Unfortunately they are a fast growing tree, so it wont be long before you will be doing it all over again.

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  2. That's going to be quite a lovely hedge next spring! Love those long windrows on the farms. Glad the young ones had so much fun and the weather cooperated.

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  3. What a lot of fun from a pile of logs!
    There's a road not far from here called Lombardy Road, after the poplars that a pioneer farmer planted for his homesick wife. Those trees are gigantic!

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  4. OH so fun both for the big boys and the kids. You just can't buy that kind of fun. I did laugh when I saw them making their way around the campfire. .it is too bad you do not have sound effects.

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  5. Who needs TV and computers when you have an imagination...great pictures!

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  6. There's nothing like the boys and their chainsaws! How they love them. And the kids have turned that into a much more interesting day than one in front of a computer or tv!
    Great post, Judy!
    hugs
    Sandi

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  7. Love, love, love the tepee and the campfire! Are they doing a rain dance?...I hope not :0)

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  8. Now that is what I call good old fashion FUN!

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  9. Look at all the fun they had with branches! This is an example of children's imagination at its best!

    Wonderful photos Judy!

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  10. I sometimes wonder why we buy toys for our children - they seem to know how to play with anything! Your girlies are so sweet.

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  11. I love it when kids can use their imagination like that! Look like a fun day was had by everyone ... and the trees will keep growing?

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  12. I saw the Toys R Us catalogue on Sunday and thought that for the most part the toys were very strange these days. They should market trimmings from tress for a change!

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  13. I love how your girls love to play in the midst of the work times...they have learned that work and play go well together.
    Did you know that popular trees are valuable...you could of recycled those for future toilet paper rolls.

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  14. Oh I love the trees. I hope they won't have to go. Isn't it great to see kids having good old fashioned fun the old fashioned way?
    Cheers
    Helen

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  15. I am convinced that your family can create fun out of every single task they tackle. Who would have guessed the younger ones would find so much fun in a parent work day. I admire your guys in taking the challenge that they did. Cute grandchildren!

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  16. I love trees, especially shade trees. But they can be bothersome sometimes. Looks like the kiddos made the most of
    the mess!!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson