Cutting down the cherry tree

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to chop down a cherry tree. Well they chopped and I cluttered up the landscape taking pictures. It was a foggy, snowy day. Aren't these apples nifty with their little snow hats? 

Hey, I liked 'em.

Discussing procedure

Cows and snowy trees

The intended victim. But it did not live in vain. It is going to become a mantel in Syracuse, and will be celebrated and exclaimed over a lot. 

Snowy birches

Me, laughing at something. I include this just because of all those blogs telling people to include pictures of themselves just because. So future generations will know what you look like. 

Contemplating attack angles. Justin and Evan wanted to chop it down in a traditional way, with a cross-cut saw, but... 

Dave had other ideas. 

"I'll just start it for you!"

Clearing fall room

That's my guy!

Isn't he fabulous?

Dave wedging it

Justin starting to get a little worried he might not get to use the cross cut saw

Snowy Tori-Alice

Dave has liberal (and efficient) ideas about "starting" trees for cross cut saws.

Getting the cross cut saw up and running. Evan and Justin manned the saw, while the other Dave drove the wedge. 

Working

Getting through...

And..... it's going down!

It was a good tree! Lots of possible mantel cutting options available. 

The mighty tree has fallen

Isn't that a gorgeous color?

And then they started limbing it, which wasn't too interesting. So Tori and I decided to pick some winterberries. 

I have a love affair with winterberries

Back here, they were still working hard. 

But we had winterberries! 

These now live in my library at school.

Making firewood out of the limbs

Tori and her don't-take-a-picture-of-me face

Hauling the log home to be milled

It was a little too much log for that little tractor

So we called in the cavalry!

And the logged skidded home.

When a bull looks at you like that, you generally take the hint.