I used to love that show, Men in Trees…because it was pure fantasy compared to my life…and it’s my uneducated guess that life in the upper end of Maine and life in Alaska is pretty much the same.  But on that TV show women never zip up their coats and wear low cut blouses without ever looking cold, they wear high heels and make up and the men shave…unless it’s aesthetically pleasing to leave a manly stubble.  In my world Bean boots are standard fare, our necks are wrapped with scarves and make up is an option I choose only when there are no other options…and who  hangs out at the local bar playing pool all afternoon?…but I digress yet again.

This past week was devoted to limbing, more limbing, chipping and raking.  We had a fantastic crew that made light of the work and the campground is looking better than ever (although there will be weeks of clean up after this massive clean up…who am I kidding?)

First there was the 40 foot lift so that we could prune the white pine to look like trees in a picture postcard

Then there were the piles of brush

Then came two days of rain…and after limbing and hauling brush for 12 hours each day, the rain was a welcome excuse to put the chainsaws down and the feet up

And then came the BIG Chipper

I LOVE Chipping…it’s all so final and the end results give me fodder for the gardens and the paths…I suggest anyone that hasn’t had the pleasure of rendering mountains of limbs into useful, fragrant amber colored chunks get on task immediately…I have an idea for a bumper sticker:  Women with chippers never suffer from PMS

Followed the next day by the LITTLE Chipper and a bit saner pace…with a final celebration of Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris for the weary hands and sawdust filled mouths.

Followed yesterday with a blissful afternoon at the beach with string and a couple of well behaved pointy sticks…and a slice of chocolate layer cake a la mode