Yard Work - Alabama Style!

You may know that my sweet husband is not actually a Southerner.  Gasp!

Everyone knows that Florida isn't really part of the South...duh!  BUT I will give him lots of credit.  That beach-loving Florida boy is now a truck-driving, tree-climbing, deer-shooting Southern-wanna-be :)  

Well...over the summer we have been presented with a few yard related challenges including a broken mower and falling limbs from our giant oak tree.

First, our riding lawn mower refused to start.   After hours of analyzing the problem, attempting to solve the problem, and finally going all Fred Flintstone on that mower, we decided to give the lawn mower to my dad who has been fixing mowers for 25+ years.  But how do you get a broken riding lawn mower from Opelika, Alabama to Columbus, Georgia?  The answer is...very creatively :)  Here is Adam's journey:

Task = Think of creative way to get mower in the truck
Answer = Get the mower on level ground with the truck bed

Task = Figure out what "ground" is level with the truck bed
Answer = The front porch!

Task = Get mower on porch
Answer = Well, you should see this!

First, you attach come-a-long to the mower

Then, attach the come-a-long to the front door.  Sigh...he attached it to the inside of the door to "decrease the chance" that it would rip our door handle off!

Next, crank come-a-long to pull up the mower.


























Note, you may also have to do some heavy lifting to get it over taller stairs!

Next step, celebrate your victory!  but not for very long because you still have to DRAG it across the porch leaving tire tracks that your wife will have to scrub up.

Finally, put mower in truck and vow to stick with smaller mowers in the future!

Our second challenge has been falling limbs from our 100+ year old oak tree.  When I say limbs, I am not talking about small branches that you may put in a campfire.  No, I am talking about limbs longer than the length of our house!!!!!  Granted we don't live in the White House, but these limbs were pretty substantial.

The first limb almost took out Adam's truck because he was parked in the front yard.  Missed it by 2 feet.

The 2nd limb wiped out our lamp post!!!!!!

And the 3rd limb...yes, 3 limbs down over the course of the month...remained dangling!!!  Sigh...the extension agent thinks the tree was struck by lightening.

Well, how does an Alabamian get a limb down?  Strap that baby to your truck, of course!

Here goes the truck vs. the tree!  Guess who wins?  I'll give you a hint: it isnt the one with 4 wheel drive.  Ha.

Enjoy!