Two Saws Are Better Than One

You know your husband really loves you when he buys you a chainsaw for your birthday. What girl wouldn't want her very own 14" cordless chainsaw, powered by a 40V lithium battery?

Expertly adorned with a single red bow, of course!

Following a week of gray, cold weather, today (November 12) was 54 degrees and sunny - the perfect opportunity to test out my new toy. 

Scott loaded the Ranger with his Stihl Farm Boss and my new Ryobi for an afternoon of fun. 

Our first subject tree was a long-dead tree of unidentified species near the east end of the driveway, just one of several that should be culled.

My cheesy smile tells you that I was excited to give the new saw a try! 

For the last few years, the green leaves on this tree were actually part of a huge grapevine. The vine was twisted all over and around the tree which made removing the whole thing a tangled, unwieldy mess. 

Scott used the Ranger's winch to drag several big bundles of gnarly branches to the east burn pile - plus we pulled four loads on the trailer. Trees always seem to be bigger once they're on the ground! In addition to this tree, we took out a couple along the fencerow facing the street and four cedars on the north side of the east pasture. We certainly got a good day's work done before quitting time.

All that's left is that little stump...

As weather permits, we'll continue to clean up dead and otherwise undesireable trees. My new saw worked great, and I'm really happy that I've been promoted from my previous position of branch-picker-upper. Of course, the best part was just getting to hang out in the sunshine with my Scotty.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

noTTafarm Visitors Keep Us Hoppin'

While we haven't had any big projects to work on of late, we have kept busy with visits by friends and family. I would be remiss if I didn't notify our vast readership and remind each of you that We Love Visitors!

Since moving to Denver in May, we have missed noTTafarm Super Friends, the Brummets. What a treat to have Monte, Amy, Brenna and Tripp visit for a few hours on Sunday, October 22nd. It was a  perfectly beautiful autumn afternoon so we had a small bonfire and roasted hot dogs and s'mores.

Bibbers just had to climb all over everyone, even Monte. Silly cat.

Amy helping Brenna with her marshmallows. I can't believe our little buddy just turned 9 years old! 

Tripp was happiest when taking rides in the Ranger. Scott was happy to oblige! Tripp is really enjoying kindergarten.

My buddy, Amy, and I will be together the first weekend of December. I'm heading to Denver so we can go to an appearance by Joe Biden. While I'm there, we're going to bake some sugar cookies and blueberry pancakes. It will be awesome!

Never leave your phone unattended . . . 

Brenna and Tripp took plenty of entertaining selfies.

Shortly after the Brummets left, my baby brother Tim stopped by. He was in Omaha with Teresa for a few days and since she needed to get some work done, he came over to sit and watch me do housework and entertain me with stories of his exciting life in Sioux Falls.

Hi, Timmy!

Tim was supposed to bring me two pieces of Fiesta that he bought at my behest. . .but since he left it at the house, Karli and DJ were kind enough to drop it off on their way out of town. Bonus! I got to chat with them for a few minutes before they hit the road for Vermillion. It's just under a year until their "Big Day!"

Speaking of Big Days. . .Jeff & Tanya chose to tie the knot on Saturday, October 21. The thunderstorms threatened but stayed clear of their front yard nuptials. It was a lovely ceremony and we're glad to have an "official" sister-in-law.

Congratulations, Jeff & Tanya!

All hands were on deck to get noTTafarm in order for a rather impromptu reunion of my sorority. I responded to a post with a casual "we can do it at my house" comment on Facebook -- and the next thing I knew, 15 alumni of Kappa Delta (Pi Chapter) made plans to meet two weeks later on Sunday, October 29. 

Many of us hadn't seen each other for over 30 years but when each girl walked in the door, it was like time had never moved past 1986. What a joy to welcome these amazing women to noTTafarm! (And of course, Bibbers had to get in the group photo.)

I had this vision of a facsimile of our sorority crest, created of twigs, and serving as a "welcome wreath" at the front door. Scott went above and beyond the call and not only helped me harvest appropriate branches but figured out the orientation of each section and used the chop saw to trim to just the right size. I served as the glue-gunner and overall stylist. It was a big hit with the girls - and now Scott and I are going to go into the fake Greek crest business. Probably be millionaires in a year or so.

Whew! That's a lot of activities for one month! Now as we gear up for the holidays . . .you should

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!