A BIG job

The view from the top of Patriarch Hill last Fall

Years ago you could see the monument from the top of Patriarch Hill.  Over the years the trees and brush have grown up and filled in the meadow areas on top.   It was decided that it would be wonderful to be able to again see the monument from Patriarch Hill.  The project was given to Mike.  It was a big job.  For a few weeks  Jake, a young adult, was hired to help.  Jake was a hard worker and a great help.  Some days Elder Vernon or Elder Starley went on top with Mike and twice I (Janie) helped.  Mike worked several weeks all by himself using hand tools, because he could not take the chainsaw unless someone else went with him.  (It's the rule.)

This is Jake

By August the meadow on top was cleared.  Then Mike and Levoy  (Charchenko and Starley) cut down a few very large trees in the forest near the meadow (on top) and you could see the top triangle shaped part of the monument.  Next, using helium balloons, binoculars and their cell phones they were able to pin point the trees near the monument that needed to be cut.

Cutting down the first tree

In this picture on the right you can see eight pine trees 100 to 125 feet tall.  There is a little tiny orange dot to the left of the tractor.  That is Mike cutting down the first tree.  They cut down a few trees and it looked like this next picture (below).

Still had a few more trees to cut down

Elder Starley, Elder Charchenko, & Elder Vernon

It was an amazing day when the trees came down and the monument shone through.  It was a miracle the way Mike climbed up and down the steep hill carrying a chain saw as he cut down tree after tree with Elder Vernon being the spotter to let him know when the tree started to move, and Elder Starley in the tractor ready to push it over and direct where it would fall.   Elder Starley designed and built what they call the "pusher" that fit on the front of the fork lift.  It was designed so Mike could cut the tree nearly through, then scramble out of the way and let the tractor push the tree over.  Now some of you know that about 10 years ago Mike got Vertigo.  It makes it so he can't look up without getting dizzy, and it has affected his equilibrium.  When we hike through the woods, he will sometimes take my arm for balance or put his hand on my shoulder especially if the trail is steep or narrow.  This equilibrium difficulty has caused him to fall a few times this summer when he was clearing brush on the top of the mountain.  Now remember he is 68 years old now and yet he works every day like he is in his 30's .  I want to tell you that Angels helped Elder Charchenko climb up and down that steep hill ALL DAY LONG,  over rocks and brush to cut down more than a dozen trees.  It looks great now.  The picture below was taken with a zoom camera and then enlarged, so it's not as close as it looks, but it looks beautiful.

We love you all.  Can you believe it's almost September?

The view from the top of Patriarch Hill now

We did it!

Working Together on Patriarch Hill

 Last Friday Mike and I worked on Patriarch Hill together.  He has been clearing brush and trees for several weeks.  This brushy looking picture (left) is the BEFORE picture.  Mike was running the chain saw and pruning shears and I was dragging the limbs to a big pile to be run through the chipper later.  The third picture shows what it looked like when it was finished.     At one time the view from the top was amazing, but the trees have been encroaching for many years and the meadow areas were being swallowed up.  Mike's job was to clear a large area and thin several smaller areas.  

When the trees are thinned they grow better. When they grow tall and sparse and crowded, they end up being blown down when storms comes through.

Mike and Jake (a young guy in his early 20's who was hired recently) have been working really hard to clear a large area so you can see the monument from the top of the hill.  You can get some idea what a big job it was by looking at the clearing in the next picture.

It was a fun day for us until we had a close encounter with some really MEAN ground bees.  We stopped to cut down a leaning tree and Mike stepped on their nest.  They swarmed him and started chasing him.  He was lucky to be stung only three times and I was stung once.  They were really made and very aggressive.

The time is zooming by.   It 's hard to believe a we have been on our mission a year.
It has been 3 weeks since we wrote a blog.  WE HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR INTERNET.  We got a new laptop and that has helped some.

While Mike was spending the past 3 weeks on Patriarch, I have been tending flowers.  They are really growing beautifully in spite of the challenges we have had with bugs.  The hot pink flowers are impatiens.

 They are supposed to be planted in the shade.  I knew that, but I forgot.  Sister Starley ordered the flowers and she didn't know.  She ordered tons of them so we have been praying for them to do well and they have been amazing.

It's past my bedtime.  Hope you enjoy the flowers.  Remember if you double click on a picture it will expand to full screen size.
Have a fun summer.  Remember it will be Christmas (and winter) before you know it.  We are trying not to think about winter coming.
LOVE TO EVERYONE!  We are excited that Rachel, Jess & Sara, and Erin are coming to visit.