It was raining this morning, but it stopped and dried out enough by late afternoon to try cutting some more red tips. I've been saving the ones that will definitely come down on the university's fence until last. Those are also the biggest ones. They are really hard to drag off that fence. When I cut the one connected to the "dangler" both came down with all the vines connecting them on the other side of the fence. These are heavier than they look in the picture. I can't budge them, but they didn't damage the fence. After nibbling around on them I now have two teeter-totterers. One on the left is almost perfectly balanced, and the other is tangled in the university's Leyland cypress tree. Plan B is to wait until after hours (Friday if it doesn't rain), cut them close to the fence, sneak around to that parking lot and hope I can get the tops down and into the truck quickly. I'd like to avoid the campus police making their rounds. They might think I'm strange. This job is much harder than I thought it would be.
Girl, you be careful! Atleast there is not a home game this weekend! Son and grandson are headed to TN for the opening game. We will be watching from home. Go Dawgs!
Oh yes, Pam. Here we go again! They should be able to handle Vanderbilt, right? I hope we don't have to play Alabama this year. That parking lot is a designated tailgating lot during home games, but pretty quiet otherwise. I got the second of those two red tips off the fence just this afternoon. Not as hard as I thought it would be, and I was able to sneak in, grab the trees, and sneak out with no one noticing. Miscounted before. There are still 4 more to go. One of those will also fall on the fence. , possibly 2. What have you been up to? It cooled off just a little bit here. Much better.
Nancy, I have been outside late in the evenings pulling weeds and picking up all the hickory nuts that are falling! UGH! I gotta call the tree company and have them cut down these two hickory trees. With all these nuts that are falling this year....we may have a hard winter this year. I tend to judge the seasons by how the squirrels hide nuts and the size of the acorns.
I brought a hickory tree in from the farm and planted it in town years ago. It was a nice tree, then about 20 years later, it decided to produce nuts. It must be 50 feet tall now. Too late. The nuts are huge things you can't mow over. But the trees have deep roots, and turn a pretty yellow in the fall.
@Nancy Hart We had Pignut Hickories in Missouri: "Pignut Hickory Family: Juglandaceae Carya glabra Description: Hickories have a similar looking fruit, where its shell is split into typically 4 slices that eventually break apart to reveal a nut. The Pignut Hickory in particular has a thinner shell. The tree grows to full size of 18-24 m (60-80 feet). Leaves: The leaves are pinnately compound and for the most part have 5 leaflets. Habitat: According to The Audubon Society Field Guide, Pignut Hickories grow in "dry or moist uplands." Location: The only Pignut Hickory I've seen on campus is along the path from the Castle to the Science buildings. Use: The nuts can be eaten raw, though they might be bitter. The nut can also be candied, crushed into flour, or boiled to separate the oil. The Hickory sap can be used for syrup, made into sugar, or used for its water." The pignuts are not as readily edible as some other Hickory nuts, which long ago provided a staple for the Algonquin Indians. Frank
@Frank Sanoica Thank you, Frank. Had to follow up on it. It says Pignut hickory nuts are large. Mine are small, about an inch with a very thick shell and small kernels. More likely a Mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa). The tree bark rules out some of the other hickories. "The name Mockernut refers to the rather small kernels of its nuts, despite the large size of its fruits. This is the result of the somewhat thick husks of the fruits and the very thick shells of the nuts. The thick shells of these nuts make them difficult to crack open. Mockernut Hickory produces separate male and female flowers on the same tree. The female flowers give way to fruits, but only after the tree reaches about 25 years old. The second blooming season should yield nuts, but they will not be edible. The third through seventh seasons will produce usable nuts and then a one- to two-year dormancy will occur." There is also a hickory near the driveway that started out as a sapling, which I tried to kill several times, but I grew to admire it's persistence and let it grow. It also started producing a couple of years ago. When you drive over the nuts they pop like firecrackers. How to crack hickory nuts
Another thread reminded me of my very first dentist, so I Googled him, just to test my memory. I distinctly remember when he said there was no need to fill any cavities in my primary teeth because they would just fall out anyway.. Yes! . He later reminded me of Ben Casey. Dr. Suso lived to age 90 and died in 2014.
This should have been in the last post, for dramatic effect, but it was too late to edit when I found it. My favorite TV program 1961-1966. Still remember this part after 50 years. lol
Update on red tips ... Got two big ones down today without too much trouble. Only one remaining, in the left corner. It is very wide at the base and tangled in vines at the top. I cut the bottom 5 feet, or more, off of each one, because they were too heavy to drag up to the driveway otherwise. Will cut the stumps off at the ground later. I need to sharpen the chain first, or get a new one. The plan is to drive the truck down there and load this heavy stuff when all the cutting is done. Should have made a neat pile. Loading the truck tomorrow with the 2 cut today, to haul off Friday. I like this job. It is a one time thing, takes no talent, just patience, but every day you can see a little bit of progress. If I were working with someone they would want to rush and get it over with. To do what, instead?