The squirrel highway is gone!
No longer can those little buggers run up one spruce, play pine cone hockey on my roof, and then run down the other side of the house via another tall spruce. My neighbor came over yesterday and cut them down for me.
It wasn't just because the squirrels were attacking my house and stealing my insulation. They may still do that in other, evil squirrel maneuvers. But people get their house insurance canceled if they don't clear the trees from around their houses. Fire is a serious danger living in a forest in Alaska. People have been known to run around with a chain saw cutting like mad as the fires approach. These two 70-ft white spruce were just a few feet from the house. Both had branches that brushed the roof, and one was so close it occasionally banged against the house when it was windy.
I don't even own a chain saw, and dropping a tree in a panic and having it NOT squish my house as a huge fire approaches, uh, I don't think so!
I definitely will be giving prayers to the tree gods and Mother Earth for cutting down such gorgeous trees. I hated to do it, but it had to be done.
The squirrels are running back and forth in the yard, saying the squirrelly version of, "Oh shit! Oh shit!" There are several very beautiful and huge spruce trees still within 30 feet of the house, not to mention an entire forest all around. They'll be fine.
I was glad to get this job done now, rather than in the Spring, when there would be nests and baby squirrels involved. You will be happy to know that no animals were displaced (or squished) ! And bit thanks to my neighbor for donating his time and expertise!
I was going to take the wood and have it milled, but believe it or not, the trees just aren't quite big enough to make it worthwhile. I'm selling it for firewood, as cords of wood cost upwards of $200-$300 now. Fuel oil has skyrocketed to almost $5/gal, so a whole bunch of people are going to heat with wood this year. That's not counting a whole bunch of people who are just moving to the Lower 48 because they simply can't afford to stay warm any more. It's sad.
