boys in my trees

Our backyard is a work in progress. (What? You mean your's isn't?) The top part is navigable by all. Then there's a steep drop off that only Penguin and previously, Piper, can handle easily. Chewy and the humans tend to stay up top, but with a 5000 square foot lot in the city, it is really a shame that we are not using all of it.

We also have to think of Oliver's safety as he becomes more mobile. At some point this summer we may wish we had installed a fence at the edge of the cliff. I have a feeling my little boy's penchant for finding the most dangerous thing in a room will extend easily outdoors.

The first step in the enormous project that is our backyard begins today, with the removal of a whole lot of dead trees and some serious pruning of those that cling to life. One tree even received a "risk assessment" with a $4k piece of high-tech equipment. The risk (for it to fall on our house, presumably) was deemed low so we left it alone.

I am starting to think such things are like sausage...one really shouldn't see them in process. Watching the tree dude climb a rope, ala James Bond but without a tux and with more gear, was kind of cool. The rest of it is just plain scary. Maybe if the weather were warmer and the tree dudes were wearing a few less layers....