Cindy vs. The Backyard, 2010 — three steps forward, one back

My battle with my backyard continues. In recent weekends I’ve cut back more of the forsythia. See:

Progress!
Progress!

I’ve chopped the bushes far to the right. At that point, there’s still another smaller bush or two, but most of the space is taken up by a rogue tree, which has multiple trunks of up to 3 inches in diameter.

The tree in the back corner has to go
The dread tree, hovering next to the deck

I need to upgrade to more significant chopping equipment. I may also need to watch out that I don’t take out utility wiring and maybe a neighbor’s window in the process of clearing that monster.

I was able to make such great strides thanks to the help of family. My brother-in-law again lent me a pickup to haul the stuff away, my parents allowed me to dump the cuttings on their land (under protest, in my dad’s case), and my brother Jude helped me load up the truck and trimmed small forsythia sprouts that were trying to gain traction.

The forsythia, as predicted, got right to work in regrowing.

Forsythia on the rebound
These forsythia were chopped down to bare stalks less than a foot high. They’re now leafy and over two feet tall.

The crownvetch making a comeback
The crownvetch has regrouped and is spreading. It’s joined by another plant that also is virulent, but whose name I don’t know.

And yet, despite the regrowth, it’s clear that I’m making strides. I keep reminding myself, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”