Friday March 18 2016  TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT

I do not like to hear the sound “KER PLUNK” when it has to do with the roof of my house.  But that is what I heard today.  Today was a day with a little too much excitement as far as I am concerned.

When you live in a wooded area much concern is given to which angle a tree leans.  When the tree is tall, close to the house, very heavy, and leaning toward the roof, there is cause for concern.  Or, when a tree dies that actually hangs above your house, again, cause for concern. And another “or” is when even another tree is so huge and expansive, that it not only shades the top of your roof, but can bang and scrape against it in a windstorm.

So today was tree trimming, tree felling, and the sounds of ‘KER PLUNK” on the roof.  And…unfortunately, we had a few mishaps which happened when the two tree men were doing their job.  Last week we had a dent made in our front seamless gutter right in the front of the house.  This weekend we had a few Ker plunks on the roof, which fortunately did no damage, and another gutter “oops” at the end of the house.  And then when the large dead birch (the one that curved over out roof) was felled, it crashed into our wrought iron metal porch railings, pulling one railing away from the brick while bending it, and breaking both railing feet free from their cement grounding. 

Before the huge tree at the corner of the house could be felled we down we had to have another tree cut down in order to give the tall tree a pathway in which to fall, otherwise, if it had hit the smaller tree it may have bounced back toward the roof line of the house and that would have been a VERY BAD KER PLUNK.  It was quite precarious to remove.

The oak tree was trimmed last week so that the branches hanging out over the roof would not touch or scrape the house when heavy with leaves or in a wind storm.  We also had a brace situated with a cable to hold up one great branch that juts out over our back patio area.  Our backyard faces west so we get the hot afternoon sun until the sun falls behind the treeline.  That oak branch is our shade from the early afternoon sun rays.

Lots more cleanup to do.  These trees had to be taken care of now before spring arrives in full swing.  This is the main reason Dave did not want to be gone during this time.  Cleanup like this takes a lot of labor.  Hmmm…that condo is sounding better and better. (Or maybe not!)

I watched as Dave and another man guided the tree with ropes as it was being cut down.  Between the three men cutting and guiding, the tree fell exactly as they anticipated.  Just a few Ker plunks on the shingles from small branches as it came down and it doesn’t appear to have caused any damage.  I guess we’ll know when the rain comes.

And then I went to the gym.  I had planned to leave earlier but I wanted to stay and watch these mighty trees fall.  Mostly, so I would know when I left the house what damage I might come home to.  Doesn’t sound like I had much faith, does it.  Well, maybe I didn’t.  Not when it comes to my roof.  But I did do a lot of praying while it was happening!

 

KER PLUNK

By Kathleen Martens

March 18, 2016

 

Ker plunk, Ker plunk is but a word

Not one that is often heard.

So what exactly does it mean?

If you hear it, you’ll probably scream.

 

I guess it depends on where it sounds,

Not so frightening if it’s on the ground.

But when it happens up on the roof,

You may not be quite so aloof.

 

So when the trees came falling down

I certainly wanted to be around.

So I could tell the tree just where

They should fall with utmost care.

 

So I did with quiet breath

As those trees met their death.

All I did was pray to God,

And He gently laid them on the sod.

 

And thankfully my roof is intact

And I’m so glad that that’s a fact.

So off to the gym I went to play

Very satisfied with our day.

 

That was all I could do.  Just trust in God to protect what those trees could have so easily destroyed.  And the mishaps that did happen are not really all that great on the Richter scale of life.

And with that segway I will copy and paste below a portion from a web address that I read this morning and want to share with you  I will include one segment daily, for the next seven days.  It is about:

 “7 DAILY STEPS TO TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART”

http://www.biblestudytools.com

John UpChurch | Senior Editor

“Perhaps you’ve been told that as a Christian you must learn to “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” But this famous passage from Proverbs 3 contains more than just a general statement about living. Instead, you’ll find the steps you need each day to truly walk with God.

Follow these 7 daily steps to make sure you’re leaning on the Lord:

1. Don’t Depend on You

We live in a world where trust must be earned and seems to be in short supply. But Solomon, the famous king who wrote Proverbs, knew that trust is exactly where we must start:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)

Most of us have faced disappointments, which have taught us that we can only depend upon ourselves. But living the life God has called us to means unlearning that lesson. Instead, we’re meant to rest in God’s understanding.

We may know in our minds that He possesses all wisdom:

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” Romans 11:33

But sometimes trusting Him completely like that can be tough. So, each day we must consciously lay aside our own plans and expectations—and surrender to His plans.

What if we don’t feel like we can trust Him like that? That’s where step 2 comes in…”

 

STEP TWO WILL FOLLOW IN TOMORROW’S BLOG.

 

Today I give thanks to You God for protecting our home and the three men that worked felling the trees.

I thank You Lord for the food you designed for our pleasure.

Thank You Lord for your awesome Love.

Thank You Lord that I can still type.

REMEMBER TO THANK THE LORD FOR SOMETHING TODAY.  

 

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

P.S.  Another message I received today about my tree blog topic from a couple of days ago.  I just thought it was so beautifully written I wanted to share it with you.

“Trees provide so much to the environment – 0yxgen, shade, moisture, in our 9-month-no-rain-no clouds-hot-summer season.  I have six redwood trees on my property and I wish I had 30.  They are so cooling, so quite, so  soothing to be among them – it is like you can feel God when you are among the old growth trees – like you are in a house of worship.” 

Thanks for your comments!  Let me hear from some more of you about your favorite TREE(S).