“Those trees really kicked my ass,” I texted our neighbor, “but I finally finished them today.” I was letting him know that I’d returned his beast trimmer that’s a holdover from his lawn care business. It’s a Husqvarna 525HE3:

That is to say, it’s an expensive, heavy hedge trimmer that is great for reaching high places. And our neighbor G is kind enough to let me borrow it whenever I need it. And when I’m trimming the Leyland Cypresses, I really need it. At first. Once I beat back all the smaller branches, I have to top the trees — or at least I had to this time. And lacking a pole saw, which costs about as much as the 525HE3, I have to use a reciprocating saw (I am not going up there with my chainsaw — no way I could hold it with one hand as needed) to cut out the thicker branches that have grown into mini-trunks.

So today, I finally finished trimming the trees. They look awful — they always do because I assault them. But they always grow back and everything is fine.

So now the list looks like this:

• Trim the Leyland cypresses (a two-day job in and of itself)
• Clean the outside of the house
• Pressure-wash the deck
• Apply ample coats of water-proofing to the deck
• Pressure-wash the concrete portion of the drive
• Complete the furniture assembly for the remodeled basement

And that’s a good feeling.