Smoke Signals

This weekend we are focusing on improvements to our front yard.  We have been busy weeding the flower beds, mowing down the weeds in the ditch and pruning the low hanging tree branches over our driveway.

After years of consideration, we finally decided that it was time for the humongous cedar bushes in front of our house to go.  They were nice ten years ago when they were five feet tall but now at ten feet tall and completely dead on the inside, they were not so cute anymore.  It took exactly nine minutes for Ian to hack each bush into oblivion.

Before

After

We will replace them with smaller bushes but I am still deciding which kind.  I will likely choose edible bushes, maybe elderberries?

We began burning the cedar branches in the burn barrel on our driveway but holy smoke!  We had neighbours from down the street drive by to make sure we didn't need rescuing from our house on fire.

We have given the burning a rest for now but there are still so many branches remaining that we will be sending up smoke signals for a few days yet.  

Tomorrow's task is a fresh coat of paint on the porch railings and hopefully time for a bit more garden clean up.  It is supposed to be a scorcher so we better get an early start!