Breaking in the bow saw

The last few days I've been breaking in my new bow saw and pruning saw by giving one of the crepe myrtles a little TLC.  The new bow saw is making nice clean cuts. 

 

The little pruning saw is a little harder to get used to.  It is supposed to cut on the push and pull strokes, but it seems to resist being pushed.  (Ha!)  Anyway, it is enabling me to get in the small areas where a bow saw won't fit.



 

I removed some of the lower branches that were in the way of the path to the blueberry bushes.  I tried to thin out some of the center, and I tried to cut back one trunk that had rocketed toward the sky. 

There were lots of lichen-covered branches, which probably indicates the tree has been stressed (or maybe is just old?).  I've mulched with a ring of pine straw, so hopefully that will help retain a little moisture in this dry site.  The trees behind it are slowly encroaching.  You can see some pines behind it.  The one on the far right of the above picture is one I planted!  It makes me feel old (but pines do grow fast).  I thought if I could take out a few of the lower pine limbs, that might let in a little more light.  I could hear my mom saying, "You're making more work for yourself."  If you plant a tree and then have to cut the limbs, I guess you are making more work for yourself.  With the step ladder, I was only able to cut the lowest limb, so I might just leave it at that.  (My options are to enlist taller help or use the extension ladder; I'll probably just leave it alone.)

 

There was another pine just behind this one (that I didn't plant) that had a broken limb.  A day or two ago the evening sun was shining on the snag, and it caught my eye.

It must have broken under the weight of the snow a week or so ago.  There is an eleagnus thicket underneath, and I looked in vain to find the fallen limb.  It was a pretty good size.  Limbs can't just disappear.  Then I saw it had caught on a lower branch.  It almost looked like it was growing out of the trunk; I couldn't even see the broken end.  I took a hoe and was able to reach high enough to snag the little end.  A tug on that catapulted the big end over, and I did a two-step to get out of the way.

 

 

 New saws and same old triceps.  Same old triceps and new soreness.