Mr Frog and other tree adventures

On Saturday, we were feeling energetic and ready to tackle the yard.  Well... I was, but Robb was my reluctant yet willing partner in crime.  

We cut down branches, cut them up and hauled them out to the landfill area in town.  We FINALLY took down the one that's been scratching the tops of all the cars.  Yikes!  Stripes of rust someday on those cars.  

Sometimes the branches would hang so far out the back of the van that they scritch scratched the pavement as we drove.  It's not far.  We must have taken eight loads out there.  

The land fill is only for yard waste, so it's burnable.

 Some days when they're burning out there, we can see the smoke and it smells like a bonfire.  Get me some marshmallows!!!

As I mentioned, it's close by.

You can tell which way the wind is blowing by the smell.  If it's a bonfire, then the wind is coming from the south.  If it smells of hog manure, then it's from the north. or east or west...

This was the last load.  Isn't it cool?  I'm seeing some potential yard art, like a giraffe!  Just need a little giraffe-y type paint job...

Robb doesn't think so... 

so it stayed out at the landfill. 

I even got ambitious and tackled the remaining stump of the tree that was taken down over a year ago.  I was sick and tired of mowing around it.  A new tree is growing beside it and I think that one will be it's replacement.  Leon calls it the baby tree and pets it.

So I got the chainsaw and cut the stump into small cake piece sizes and it just broke apart.  It was basically rotten underneath anyway.  So now I have a hole full of sawdust in the yard, next to the baby tree.  

Gotta find me some dirt.

Then I spent the rest of the day sewing on a shirt for Meri.  Back to my one trick pattern because she doesn't like any of my creative bits that I wanted to add.  Oh well, I can make this shirt in my sleep now.  I'll have her model for you when I get it done.

On Sunday when Leon got home, all he wanted to do was play outside and dream about the branches that are no more.  I wasn't going to argue with him so I let him climb a couple trees and play swords or magic wands with the twigs while I gathered up the remaining twigs on the yard and picked tomatoes.

 I mowed yesterday over lunch and happened to mention the glutton of frogs in the yard to Meri.  It wasn't quite Biblical proportions, but notable.  She wasn't able to get the dogs to come in last night and that's when I remembered them.  OHHHHH.. 

They're huntin' dogs!  for frogs, but what else are they going to hunt for in our back yard?  I haven't seen baby bunnies for a while and birds try to avoid our yard these days...

She and Leon were finally able to get the dogs inside, then went a-huntin' themselves.  I could see Meri's cell phone lighting the way as they followed the same path around the yard that our old Bassett used to trod.  I heard a "GOT ONE! GRANDMA!" and then I made them come back in.  

It's been named, Freckles.  But this morning, Leon said that it's nick name is Mr. Frog.

According to Leon, the frog's habitat (his words) needs a piece of wood slice and a lid from an ice cream bucket full of water.  AND a branch from the lilac tree.  and scented pine cones. We found an old aquarium of Meris, for the habitat. I need to research it, but from what I'm remembering with Meri's pet frog, Hopalong Cookie Checkers, they eat small crickets.  I'll need to stop at Earle May and pick some up tonight.

Don't know about you, but crickets are too small a game to go hunting for in the yard...