I got reacquainted with my apple blossoms yesterday during an afternoon walk along the woodland skirting the edge of our front yard. A couple years ago, I had to fight for this tree’s survival because my lawnmower man threatened to “cut the d#&! thing down.” In a truce I agreed he could trim any limbs hanging in his way. But he has this love affair with his chain saw, pruner, weed whacker, etc., and tends to get carried away (see example below). So every spring spruce up, I have to remind him to leave ALL my trees (and bushes, and shrubs) alone, unless they have fallen or died, or I’ll break his d#&! big boy toys!
Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.
Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.
My lawnmower man’s recent handiwork.
Am I right, or what?
Sheila T Illustrated© 
This is too funny! Thanks for giving me good laugh on this rainy and dreary Sunday! 🙂
You are welcome. Glad you liked the narrative. I pointed them out to him today before leaving for church, “See those pretty apple blossoms. Now, that’s pretty.” He grumbled, “That’s a pain in my a#*!” Mental note to self: Say an extra prayer today! FYI: Sometimes, I prefer to shoot on dreary days, when the sun isn’t out or I wait till it is low in the sky behind my trees.
Sheila you are too funny!! 🙂 An extra prayer may be needed. I am beginning to enjoy shooting on those as well…still trial and error though. Enjoy your Sunday!
Thanks, OneLifeThisLife, for understanding why I must take a stand now and then. Check the post again for updated photos of how lawnmower man pruned a couple bushes!
Now I know how you feel about his pruning. Can’t wait!
Dezra says some judicious pruning actually promotes growth. He says don’t worry, they will fill in just fine. I say, “I know she’s right. Fingers are crossed that he is, too!”
🙂
Nice, Sheila! Power to the Flower! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica. 🙂
Haha! You tell him! On the other hand, pruning actually promotes growth as long as it’s judicious pruning. Lovely blossom!
Thanks, for the compliment, Dezra. Gotta love him, though. Mowing our three acres is his stress reliever. And sometimes, there’s little time left for extensive pruning. He did prune a couple bushes a few days ago while I was at work. I think I will post the photo.
Post update: Am I justified?
I’m one of those who believe that Mother and Father Nature do just fine in determining how their flora grows. I plant it in an appropriate spot (which means doing research to find out its light and watering needs, as well as how big it will get) and then basically leave it alone.
The only time I ever used chain saws, pruners, weed whackers, etc., was after a natural diaster — hurricanes, tornados, floods, and fires.
Ah, a kindred spirit! Another one of my pet peeves: clearing land of all vegetation to build a home, then turn around a plant a tiny little seedling. I think a good contractor would find a way to build around nature, not vice versa!!!!
Back in 1995 I stayed at a resort in Big Sur, California. It was Easter weekend and I had no reservation. The only place they had left was the developer’s cabin, but it was $500 a night. Since it was 2:00 a.m., they gave me a discount to $400. It had redwood trees growing through the house. The developer had saved every tree he could and simply built the house basically in the trees. He had an interesting system of barriers around the trees to keep wildlife out and conditioned air in. It was the neatest place I’ve ever stayed.
That’s what I’m talking about! It can be done. I would love to see the Redwoods and that house! You are so fortunate to have experienced it!
I used to have lots of pictures of it. They were those printed kind of pictures. In 2003 I started scanning all my old pictures and other historical documents and throwing the printed stuff away. Then I suffered the Great Hard Drive Crash of August 2005 and lost 90% of everything. I learned my lesson.
Oh, no! I have had a couple crashes too, but I still have all my printed material and most stored on CDs. I also have a backup at my Walgreens online account. Do you think a Google search would turn up photos of that house in the Redwoods?
As soon as my other half comes home, I’ll know the name of it.