Spring cleanup

Two of the best smells? Wood smoke and spring air. Last night we experienced both.

Andrew is a lumberjack. He has a passion for chainsaws and cutting trees, resulting in brush piles that could challenge sky scrapers. Though lawn mowing isn't quite in season, we've prepared for it by extending the yard another ten feet west - by way of fallen trees and blazing brush piles. I'm not a fan of monstrous yards ( I don't mind mowing, but I like the privacy a canopy of oaks offers). However, the moment my husband spies even a single dead leaf, I can kiss that particular tree good-bye.

We had two of these giant stacks out back until last night when the yard expansion project began. Andrew & I hauled sticks while Oliver helped cut down on the load by eating his share. It was actually quite pleasant to get out in the fresh spring breeze and do some hard work. I love togetherness.

And when the piles were loaded high, they were ignited. A beautiful sight - Olives was mesmerized. So was I.

The work didn't stop there, though. Next came the poking and the pushing and the watching and the sweating. Glorious. The pay off? Today we smell like well roasted marshmallows and our eyebrows are singed. Our cheeks are still rosy from catching the glow of the fire, and we're one step closer to connecting yards with our neighbor.