Stumpocalypse 2015. Man that was a lot of work. I rented a stump grinder from Home Depot ($114 for 24 hours) and went to work on the seven just-cut cherry tree stumps, one old oak stump, and one old pine stump. Probably about seven sweaty, noisy hours of frantic but plodding (think how long it might take to grind a tree to sawdust) work. Sweeping this heavy chunk of machinery back and forth across the wood until each stump was cut low enough to install a semblance of sod over top of it. Here’s the aftermath of one of the cherry trees that I didn’t cut very deeply. And Nora securing the premises of the fresh sod.

But where did you get that nice fresh sod, you say. Great question. I chopped it from another section of yard on the north side of our property that I also just started to landscape with mulch and carried or tarp-dragged pieces to each stump. So yeah, my back and shoulders feel fantastic. What is actually fantastic, and not sarcastically so, is our spring weather and outdoor enjoyment. The remaining four cherry trees are blooming and fragrant, with lots of honey bees flitting about

Asparagus season. Mary rewarded the hard work with asparagus- and tomato-versions of bruschetta. I ate many of these. And here she is getting some last few sunlight rays while studying for her National Counselor Exam that’s coming up a couple weeks. The NCE is a requirement to be a licensed mental health counselor pretty much everywhere, no pressure.