Pruning...

I love spring as it slowly moves towards summer. I love how the sun actually is beginning to burst through my bedroom window. And I have already had that first cup of coffee in the morning on the deck.
This weekend I finally had a large cedar (the picture shows its trunk) removed in front of my garage. I don't think I ever really liked the tree as it got bigger and bigger and seemed to be looming on to my deck, but I hate cutting down trees and I was worried I would lose privacy. Let's face it I don't always like change very much and worry about whether the change will be positive or not.
In this case, it definitely is. The only problem is now I do have to look more closely at my garage which is definitely falling apart. I got my first quote for rebuilding it a couple of weeks ago which was very scary. I was thinking I may have to teach longer than I planned, take in boarders etc. But this week, slips of paper have been given to me as friends, new and old, find me other contractors to check with.
This year we have changed our model of working with our elementary schools and although we think it's better it hasn't always been easy. For teachers in this project, we ask them to risk, change their practice. Sometimes I feel like a tentative not very skilled arborist. Saturday I watched two men in harnesses climbing up the trees in to limb them. I think I know that feeling of swinging in space, but in our case we are pruning our practice as teachers and in my case, sometimes as my own and others' critical friend.
The tree is gone. People tell me what an improvement! "You will get more sun, the grass will grown better, you can grow different plants."
Change is positive but not always easy but it can be exhilarating. And you need that community to reassure you and give you support...