Cutting down The Tree

Our neighbor had requested the removal of a dry, dead tree for four years. Yesterday they showed up and removed it (was to the right, half the height of this one) then started cutting branches off this beast. I can’t remember how many times over the years that I heard of a storm approaching, and photographed this tree, expecting to see it on the ground the next day. It had two parrot nests. No parrots were harmed, but a few of them flew around afterwards, squawking loudly (as they always do anyway).

Now that the wind resistance is drastically reduced, the tree should be no threat. Does that mean they’re through with it? Time will tell.

No tocar la leña

Somebody who obviously doesn’t have a chainsaw has decided that the tree that fell six weeks ago is now their property. Couple days ago a woman, presumably from the house behind, was scrawling on them with a piece of charcoal NO TOCAR LA LEÑA.

Don’t touch the firewood. Long-dead pine that will probably burn like cardboard. OK lady, it’s a deal.

First frost (2022)

My wife asked me just last night when we get our first frost, and I said usually in June.

First frost of 2022: June 1.
Last year it was July 5.
In 2019 it was July 7.
2018: June 25.
2017: June 20.
2016: June 11.

You can almost feel the ice caps melting.

If a tree falls…

Long expected, this huge dead tree went down in a windstorm last week, taking with it a parrot nest. I saw one dead parrot, and of course there could be several more.

The tree had a double trunk. One side fell on one side of the power pole, and one side on the other. But the power line was still there! How was that possible?

It took us an embarrassingly long time to figure out that the power company had already been out to repair the line: note the shiny new clamps on the darker pole….

Volunteer squash

The rest of the harvest from my strange volunteer hybrid squash plants that grew out of a non-compost bin.

Dead sea turtle

Another dead turtl e (link to 10 April), which I only saw because I went a block east en route to the beach because I intersected with someone going my usual route with two apparently-not-friendly dogs on leashes. This one about 1.5 m long.

Dead sea turtle

It has been a while since I’ve seen interesting dead things on the beach. Yesterday’s was a good-sized sea turtle.

A young boy came over and started explaining something, but I could not make head or tail of what he was saying. Rioplatense Spanish can be pretty brutal, even more so when spoken by kids.

Street Dog says…

…what are you looking at?

Pampas grass

Crazy plant

The crazy plant: I took a picture when it was almost the height of the fencing. It was very pretty, very symmetrical. Then it reached my height, and then the gutter, and then some of the branches fell over. Their ends then turned skyward and kept growing.

I suppose I should get rid of it, but instead I’m amazed by it, growing out of a tiny bit of sand that rarely gets water.