When a tree falls

Late Saturday afternoon, I went out to the back of the duplex to lay out a sweater to dry. The tree had been cut down! Although the tree lost it leaves in winter, during the summer it almost completely shaded the back yard. Now with the tree gone, I could make a raised bed in the back of the house instead of building a planter for the driveway.


This is the walkway from the kitchen door to the back of the house (facing south). The building on the left is the neighbors' garage. The ugly, enormous electrical panel has recently been installed for the duplex and the neighbors' (my landlords) house. The walkway is just under four feet wide, and it's about seventeen feet from the water tap on the lower right to the end of the duplex. You can barely see the stump at the end of the neighbors' garage.




This is the lovely back yard! This is facing east with the side of the duplex (my bedroom) facing south. The yard is about six feet wide and about twelve feet long from the corner of the duplex to the water heater shed. The fences between the two sides of the duplex and between my side and the landlords' house have gates, so clearance needs to be allowed for the swing of the gate.

I think the corner against the duplex will be the sunniest spot for a garden. Because I already have four-foot length boards, I think I will stay with that plan.





The view facing west. The solid portion of the fence with the other neighbor is about five and half feet high. The water heater shed is about six and half feet high. So both structures cast sizable shadows.

















The tree stump still needs to be removed. The tree had grown around some chunks of concrete that randomly and unevenly pave part of the yard, so the landlord said the stump has to be "dissolved." I told him I hope it's not with nasty chemicals.

I can't really start digging until the crew have finished removing the stump. But, this afternoon, eager to get started, I picked up rocks.