Clearing Windfall

It was time to take the show on the road today as I headed out to help a friend.
Sweat equity is a traded commodity, and withdrawals are made from time to time.
Not that help should be traded, but help works out well when everyone benefits.

In this case, a storm had caused some serious tree damage.
The bulk of the mess had already been dealt with, but the remaining tangle of tree limbs and trunks needed to be taken down; for safety, and for aesthetics.
Windfall is challenging and dangerous.
Potential energy is sprung and just waiting to turn kinetic.
The pros can read the trees and take them down safely.
The rest of us?
We just cross our fingers and make sure someone is near a phone.

Clearing and brushing is something I have grown familiar with.
It's straightforward work; cutting and sorting, dragging and piling.
It's too dry right now to burn the leftover brush so the piles will have to wait.
But the result of the labour is tangible, and worthy of reflection at the end of the day.

Problems always crop up, like a pinched bar, or an especially badly hung-up tree.
Creative solutions and some rugged gear are called for.
Deliberation and a short break help clear the issue.

It's preferable to have 'before' and 'after' pictures...
...that don't make you famous.

By the end of the day, the yard is bigger, and the firewood pile is too.
It really was just the beginning of the overall clean up, but some of the more dangerous work is now done with no injuries and very few humiliating stories.
I must admit that the work has left me eager for a hot shower and a soft bed.
Though hard work is more rewarding when you can feel it.

Martin would prefer less exposure on the internet,

so I have cleverly cropped this photo

so that you don't know who he is.