Shave and a haircut - 7 hours

Not for me. Yesterday we started on the daunting task of trimming our tree. If you have ever been to our house, you know the monstrosity known as our fruitless mulberry. In fact, I believe you can see part of the tree on the top of this page. Just know, the picture was taken from the same side of the trunk as we are standing.

There are some good things about the tree. It helps keep the house cool during the summer from the shade it casts over the front windows. It has some big, strong branches that hold two hammock swings that our kids adore (Micah is in one of them up there.) And I guess I am carbonly off-set for the rest of my life because of that tree (beware, global cooling is coming!)

In my eyes though, the tree is sometimes more hassle than it's worth. During the fall, our yard (and our neighborhood) is covered with the thousands of leaves that take their time falling down. At night, the birds love our tree, and thus, show their love on our cars that we have to park underneath it. When it rains (which here in Southern California isn't too often) the water washes the rest of their love down on our cars and they become pretty disgusting. And then... there's the trimming.

Three of us armed with a chainsaw, branch cutter on a long pole, a couple of small 99.99 Cent Store saws (I asked, if you uy 100 items, you don't save a penny), a pair of pruning scissors and the sheer determination to drastically trim the tree this year, we set off at 10 am yesterday. Of course, with 4 kids inside, one of us had to stay inside on rotation to be with them as they watched out the window at the endeavor. Rotations were fast and furious. The cars were all moved (who wants a smashed windshield?) the chainsaw cutting ever-so-slowly (we need a better chainsaw -- not an idea for a Christmas gift Paul) and the branches began to fall. Well, sometimes. Oh what a tangled web they weave when first we practice to not trim the tree last year.

Come 5 pm, it's getting dark and we are.... 1/3 done. The branches are all cut up and stacked into a huge pile. The driveway is clear, both on the ground and above it from the cut branches being gone -- nothing but blue sky. Yay for free access by rain. But there will come another weekend where we are going to try to tackle the second third that will take another 7 hours, and probably a third weekend after that.

I'm just glad God doesn't get tired of pruning me like I am of that tree already.

John 15:1-2
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.