known dangers

Things you think are dangerous oftentimes turn out to be quite tame. On the other hand, things that cause less worry may knock you down with such force you wont even know what hit you.

That's one of those thoughts I keep in my head when I know we are engaged in so called dangerous activities. Me, washing down the glass roof, Ed chopping down trees. So I am not totally concerned when he makes this deal with a guy who owns a cherry picker, aka an aerial work platform ("AWP"). This machine was broken and Ed offered to fix it for its owner in exchange for a one day's loan. We have a number of trees (a GREAT number in my opinion) that are huge and that have limbs hanging over places that would be damaged should they snap and come down. One tree of particular concern is the big willow that towers over our driveway.

Willow branches snap routinely. So far they have caused no damage, but some of them are directly over our parking space. Crash! No more snazzy Blue Moon car. 

Today, the AWP owner finally found the time to come over and set up the machine so that Ed could saw off branches from the monster tree. 

(but first, my morning farmette walk)

Because of the planned tree work, Ed is up almost as early as I am! Breakfast together.

And then he's out and the two guys (who probably have the combined age of over one and a half centuries) start the work.

And guess what! No one sawed off anyone's arm or leg and no one fell off the AWP and now we have a trimmed tree. I had suggested taking the whole top half off. Ed didn't quite go that far, but he did at least remove some of the heavier offending branches.

On the other hand, the expected Hurricane Ian dangers came to pass as...  expected. My friends, I hope, are safe, but that's all I can say that's good about the situation in Venice, where they live.

So now to tamer topics. Mellow, gentle kind.

I pick up the girl at school and bring her to the farmette just as the AWP is being hauled away. She would sooooo love a ride up in it, but we are firm. Climb in if you want, but the machine is staying low.

Ah well, it's a beautiful autumnal day for prancing!

We do have some time at the farmhouse, but not terribly long. We have a date! My daughter suggested a late afternoon cafe pause and she and I invited Snowdrop to join us.

(for Snowdrop, to be invited into a conversation between mom and gogs? -- heaven.)

I noted yesterday how deliberate you have to be in finding good moments to talk, beyond the usual exchanges of a day's events. These times with either daughter are always special. And here's a bonus for me -- I get two days in a row of daughters: tomorrow I'm to have lunch with my Chicago girl.

How good is that...

Now if only Ian hadn't been so... predictably damaging!

With love...