Tree Trimming Day

This 200+ year-old Coastal Live Oak tree came with our house. Actually, it came well before our house and we had to build around it. The oak is a preservation tree, the only one of its species for a 10-mile span along the bank of the creek bed on which it grows. And it grows right on the other side of our backyard fence. Much of the canopy extends into our back yard, making it a very special place!

We've lived with this grand tree since 1996 when the house was built. We were instrumental in saving it from destruction when the home builder thought they would just avoid the hassle and cut it down in order to build the house. At the eleventh hour we found out about the plan, notified the water district and the building permit was suspended until an agreement could be reached. Saving the tree cost the builder about $30,000. They had to build a special retaining wall, provide aeriation for the root system, and modify the house foundation structure...all for this tree. Worth every penny!

It has grown a lot over the years and it was time once again for a major trim. Technically, the tree belongs to the county water district, as they own the creek bed in which the trunk base officially sits.

Here is the view from the creek side. I am standing at the bottom of the creek bed looking back toward our house. The house is a two-story and you can see how much taller the tree is. Based on the height of the house, I'd estimate the tree to be about 70 feet tall.

The tree had gotten so big that it was hanging over the top of our house. In the recent rain/wind storms, it was starting to get a little scary, as limbs were scraping the roof. I was definitely glad that the crew finally showed up to do the job.

But not everyone was initially happy about this project!

Compare this well-known diagram below:

With the postures exhibited by Sage here:

You guessed it - there was something really nasty in our yard and Sage did not like it!

When the crew took a lunch break, I let him out to examine their work. By this time the deck underneath the tree was littered with tons of small branches and debris. Sage immediately went to work tracking all of the workers. He ran around in circles and was quite agitated by the scents of multiple invaders.

And now for the offending item - a tool belt that the workers had left on the deck. That is what he sees in this picture. It was a very foreign object and he was petrified to approach it. Finally he screwed up his courage and bopped the belt with his nose, then quickly backed away. When it didn't move he quickly lost interest and realized that the yard was now full of his favorite toys...sticks!

Naturally, he selected one of the biggest branches he could find. It is about twice as long as he is. He tried to pick it up and run off with his prize, but had to be content to drag it instead. Convinced that there would be a lot of competition for something this valuable, he was trying to get it to a far corner of the yard for safe keeping.

The problem with that plan was that it was so big that it kept getting caught as he tried to drag it down the path in our garden.

Abandoning the giant branch for a smaller, more portable, bit of tree debris, he is now ready to play keep-away.

As I watched from the other side of the yard, he stopped and started to jump and play with his new find. Ahh....to be a big puppy and find joy in the simple things!

Elbee saved a Life Yesterday

Yesterday morning I was out in the yard. Elbee was with me. It was about to turn into an 85-degree day, and was already warming up at 8:30AM. Suddenly I looked around and Elbee had disappeared. 

When that happens, I know to look for her around a corner where we almost never go. There is a pile of dry leaves from a big oak tree there and there's always Good Stuff for the Princess who will eat absolutely anything disgusting that she can find!

We store old flower pots in that area and when I went to get Elbee, I was amazed to see this big lizard in one of the pots. It was probably the largest lizard I've seen in a city environment, about 9" long, with a body about 1" in diameter. Clearly this fellow knew where the best hunting was to be found. He appeared quite well-fed. Based on the appetite, I assume it was a "he." But then again, you don't get to be this big by being a stupid lizard, so perhaps it was a "she" after all?

Anyhow, it was quite pretty, as lizards go - really gorgeous colors. It was sitting in this pot, with some dry leaves with a number of little gnats buzzing around in the morning sun. Yum, delicious breakfast for any lizard.

So I went inside and didn't think too much more about it.  Awhile later I checked and it was still there. In the evening it was still there. Only then did it dawn on me that this particular pot had a slick glaze on it and the poor lizard was probably unable to climb out of the pot! They're good little climbers, but they need a surface with some texture to get a foothold.

Sure enough, when I went to look again, it was on hind legs, madly scratching at the side of the pot in an attempt to escape. I gently tipped the pot on its side and the lizard slide down and froze. It was essentially standing at ground level now and I thought it would skitter away immediately, but it didn't.

It had been a really hot day and that corner gets very warm so I thought it might be dehydrated. I got a little saucer of water and set it just outside the edge of the pot. The lizard was still too frightened to move. I took some water on my finger and dripped a few drops right in front the the lizard's nose. To my surprise, it didn't attempt to run, though it easily could have. It just kept watching me.  My finger was 1/16" of an inch away from touching its nose! As I moved my finger away, its tongue flicked in and out a few times - it was drinking the water droplet I'd given it! Very cool!

I stood up and watched it for a few moments longer. And it just kept peering back. I went away so it would feel comfortable enough to leave the pot and find a place to spend the night. Sure enough, ten minutes later, it had gone. 

This morning I emptied the leaves out of the pot and found that another, much smaller lizard, had not been so fortunate as to be rescued by a curious little dog rooting around in that corner! Sigh...too bad.  So from now on all flower pots stay upside down when not in use. 

Oh yea...only after I looked at the pictures I'd taken when I first discovered it, did I realize that the lizard had been eating something at the time...look closely! 

Thanks Elbee! This lizard definitely owes you one!