Chainsaws And Grandsons

When I got up this morning I discovered that the tree guys had already been here for half an hour. As I mentioned before, it's a father and son team and they work like demons. One was operating a front-end loader with which he hauled branches and tree parts to the fire they'd started in the area between the back yard and the old barn. The other was doing the chain-sawing and it was like a dance they were doing. A very fast and fancy dance that was well-rehearsed. When they left around noon, four of the trees had been removed. They'll be back tomorrow. The dad told me that these were the biggest Bradford pears he'd ever seen. 
I was a bit surprised to hear that but I doubt he'd lie to me. 

It's going to be different around here. But it's sort of nice to think about what we can put into that space now. Fruit trees really would be a good thing. I even suggested we plant a new live oak as the ones in our yard are mostly so very old.

Well, we'll see. 

Jessie brought the boys out this afternoon for a little visit. They were out of school for President's Day. I got to watch the video of Vergil at the circus and it was truly amazing and funny. He was indeed handcuffed and bound to a large wooden prop thing and there were two balloons placed on either side of his head. By the clown costume of the archer and the garishness of the bow, it was obvious that no one would really be shooting arrows at Vergil but still- once he was blindfolded, it had to be slightly nerve-wracking. "Hold still! Hold still!" the assistant kept saying and he did. There would be a countdown, "One, two, three!" and then the assistant would stab (as August and Levon said) a balloon. "Pop!"
After the second balloon, they decided to put one over his head. "He's too tall!" they said, and so they put it between his legs. Comedy! And then that got popped too. 
I imagine that those boys were incredibly impressed with their papa, the star of the circus! 

I picked some more camellias today. They are still so beautiful. 

I love the way the bright sunlight shines through these delicate petals. 

Here's what the ones I picked look like in the hallway.

They grace my life. 

I finished weeding the area in the garden where I'll be planting the beans. That felt good. Glen said that he'll drive to town for another load of compost tomorrow. Maybe I'll even help him shovel and spread it.

So really, all is well here in Lloyd. It is going to be a big change with those trees down. But as Glen keeps telling me, it's only going to be a few hours everyday when the amount of sun we get on the back porch will be much increased. The magnolia tree which is just a few feet, really, from the row of the Bradford pears is so immense and tall that it blocks a lot of sun. And the pecans on the other side offer shade too. 

Here are my three little periwinkle's that I bought in their new pot. 

It hangs from the kitchen porch. When I was a child, growing up in Roseland, periwinkles were everywhere but only lavender and white and pink ones. We used to pick the flowers and string them with a needle and thread to make necklaces. The red ones seem so exotic to me and yet, at the same time, familiar and comforting. I hope they like it there. 

The sweetest thing that happened today was when I was telling the boys goodbye. August and Levon, as we all know by now are not the most physically affectionate children. They are with their mama and daddy but that's about enough for them. So I am very careful not to overstep my bounds with my hugs and my kisses. When I was saying goodbye to August, I softly gave his little sun-warmed head some tiny kisses and as I did that, he leaned his head towards me like a sunflower leaning into the sun. 
I took that into my heart. 

Love...Ms. Moon