Grumpy is an Understatement

My day jobs are often stressful. Periodically, they can become exceptionally stressful and if it happens in both jobs at once I'm on the edge. This has been one of those months. However bad I think I have it, it's nothing compared to what my partner experiences having to deal with me on a daily basis. Besides all of the above, I'm moody and emotional. Dancing with the Stars makes me cry. Commercials bring tears to my eyes. I've been known to completely break down over an episode of Supernatural. There are days I crawl into my head, contemplating the fate of the universe--or of our mudroom. Add the sudden, unexpected death of Prince and the GrumpymoodOmeter ratchets up to 12 on a 10 point scale.

Last night I apologized for a dozen ways I've been a grump, and told her I'm grateful for the sun she shines into my life. She smiled and said that all of the things I apologized for are the reasons she cherishes me. She reminded me I've said the same to her from time to time, and, in truth, what we both are is human and loved.

Maybe grumpy is an overstatement after all.

Trees

2020 will be known as the year of the tree. Our property contains several trees, including two enormous maple trees. They provide shade for us and is home to at least one extended squirrel family.  

This past spring, we noticed some of the bark was missing near the bottom of one of the trees. It took days of contacting tree service providers before we found one who didn't automatically suggest cutting down the tree— an arborist who actually examined the tree before making a recommendation.

A small group of men, accompanied by a lot of large equipment came to our home early one morning. By afternoon, they’d trimmed the tree, cabled some limbs, and did a specialized feed. So far it looks fantastic. 

Recently we noticed, the other big tree has hollowed spaces at its base. We wasted no time making an appointment with the arborist.

Unfortunately, the day before our appointment tropical storm Isaias made its way through Connecticut. By some stroke of luck our property had no damage. But the rest of the city and state were hit hard, leaving 700,000 homes were without power. Fallen trees took out whole houses as well as miscellaneous power lines.

Our arborist was called out to aid with storm damage. So here we are, two weeks later, waiting to learn the fate of our tree. We hope the fact that it withstood the storm is a good sign. We'll keep you posted.