Tenny Hill

After rounding up snatch blocks, eight foot lengths of tow strap, cast steel D rings, and several miles of  22,000 lb test winch rope to remove two tall plum tree stumps, I opted for a more simpler approach. I put on a motorcycle crash helmet, hopped on Sparky, raised the bucket half travel, ran the diesel up to 3,000 RPMs, and charged said plum trees. Then I charged them again… and again… Yes, even more before they surrendered.

I discovered that twenty-six years gives plum trees a lot of time to grow roots, and these sure took advantage of that opportunity. Pictured above, the tree’s trunk is locked in the timber tongs, the rest are all roots. They held out long enough to put a dent in the top of Sparky’s bucket. I stood at the top the bucket swinging a long handled sledge at the scene of the accident, but it would not put a dent in the dent. A new bucket costs $1,400 so I guess we will chalk the diminished aesthetic off to the appearance of character.

The trunks and roots were dumped on the now very large chipper pile, which turned into an unintended mosh pit diving experience when struggling to remove the tongs. The removal sites were bucket dragged and raked out, leaving it for Maine’s winter snow and ground heaving before the spots are leveled and seeded.

  The Myth of Sisyphus

The boulders in the foreground used to follow the lawn and driveway bump out radius. They were part of a grand scheme of revenge on a UPS driver who insisted on cutting the corner short when pulling out driving over the lawn. Unfortunately, they also took a toll on the FedEx driver, the mailman and Sparky’s snow blower. Hence it is now a burgeoning garden addition. Hence? I am watching too many dragon/King Arthur/Merlin sagas. In any event, I went off-roading with Sparky, found some bigger and a greater number of boulders and laid out an outline for next spring.

Come spring, I’ll take a shot at a foot tall retaining wall to follow the front radius, put down some weed guard and dump in a dozen bags of top soil. Then the flowers and shrubs suffering under the shade of a very full Japanese maple will be relocated here… I think. I have to wait until my daughter in law shows up and shares her knowledge of green stuff.

Winter projects…

A bought a new rear bumper for Chuck and planned to have it installed. Unfortunately, a furnace service call claimed hat budget allocation. One of those heat and hot water or replace the bumper on the truck decisions. It isn’t the harshness of the task as much as having to shake rust out of my eyes when pulling those twenty-year-old bolts. The replacement is ready to go, so….

I really want to upgrade Sparky. It’s in constant use and it could use a little more juice. I am thinking a larger hydraulic pump, 9 GPM, oversized hydraulic actuator pairs for the loader and backhoe and a turbo charger kit that would bump power by 40%. We’ll see.

A  note on nutrition

What can be more nutritious than SOS? SOS Burritos!!…! I rotate breakfast through 2 eggs and 1 sweet Italian sausage, Grits, oatmeal, Cheerios, Cornflakes, Bran Flakes. Stouffer’s Creamed Chipped Beef… SOS on Keto toast. Keto Tortillas have been added to the mix. I love the latter so much; taste, texture 320 calories and 19g carbs. Actually 8g of carbs adjusted for dietary fiber. Big breakfast, light lunch and moderate dinner. No snacks.

While it may seem like a artery clogging menu, my lab panels now look like a healthy 25-year-old, even if the outside looks like a aimlessly wandering old codger. Rested heart rate was 56 ten minutes after lugging tools and equipment up and down basement stairs. Important to find a diet that works for you.