Dear Family and Friends,

It’s all going so fast, right now. Projects that have been in the works for weeks and months are finally showing results.

Thomas’ sister wrote a Whatsapp message to Thomas: Hi Bro, could you and Kristin use a couple of helping hands this coming weekend? We would love to come spend a day helping you guys out in the yard.

Well the only answer to that offer is a resounding: YES!

It was a busy weekend. We left for Düsseldorf Friday morning traveling 11 hours to attend a trade fair the next day.

Saturday we were at the largest trade fair for Plastics and Rubber in the world for the entire day. Working in the industry, it was interesting to see what is happening in the branch. It was also a great experience for me to see how much I have learned in the past three years.

That evening we left for home arriving a 4am Sunday morning. Yes, it was a long day.

We decided we could do this: we rescheduled them to come a couple hours later and offered a dinner and campfire instead of lunch for the hearty workers.

Our goal in those 4 hours: the back hedge of the house.

Remember this picture?

Yes, it is the title picture of this blog.

Well, it no longer looks like that now.

An important side-note before I continue:

This is a DIY experience. However, Thomas has taken the training needed to fell trees including properly and safely using a chainsaw. He was wearing safety gear at all times including a helmet with a logging mask for eye protection and ear muffs. He was also wearing logging pants which prevent a saw from cutting through them. Steel cap safety shoes and cut-resistant gloves complete the outfit. Wearing long sleeves also protects his arms from cuts and abrasions.

When cutting down trees there is always a definite amount of risk involved. Trained and very experienced people every year are seriously injured in logging accidents. There is no shame in asking for help with this project. If in doubt, ask for aid. If you are not trained in using a chainsaw in this manner, get some experience with a pro beforehand. Please do not overestimate your abilities.

OK. I feel better now. Just had to get that off my chest.

Now these are not big trees at all. The difficulty is not in the size, but in the entangled branches, roots and trunks. The front part of the hedge was relatively tamed, but the back and side sections are quite wild, as they were left to grow wild throughout the years. They created an impenetrable fence.

Before our guest workers came, Thomas went out and cut down a couple meters of the trees to give us all something to do without being in the safety radius of the saw. As you can see, the safety gear was necessary.

I saw to dinner preparations and making sure the marshmallows were within reach (yes, I still have food in boxes sitting in the hallway).

Together we then cut off the branches, carried out brush and logs from the back of the house to the front. We filled yet another trailer with greenery for the recycling center and created another pile to be filled as soon as we had space.

Thomas’ nephew spent the time using the ax to cut off branches and carry logs much larger than he was. He earned every single marshmallow he ate (and a lot more). Thomas’ sister is invaluable as a driving force—she is just amazing in her ability to motivate and just keep moving. I really learn a lot from her each time she shows up—she is strong and a force to be reckoned with. She can hold her own with any of the men.

By the time dinner rolled around, we had a clear view of our house.

After dinner, we spent a comfortable evening enjoying the campfire, taking pictures of the flames, and basking in their warmth. Then it was time for roasting marshmallows—a rare treat here in Germany where marshmallows are a new fad from the USA. Good thing I haven’t lost all my skill over the long years living here.

I’ve decided I am getting us a pudgy stick set and a good set of retractable toasting sticks. Just in case we happen to have an excuse to have more fires in the coming years.