Too Much Excitement for One Day?

In anticipation of setting up our new play set tomorrow, we had our tree trimmer (aka "lumberjack") out today to cut down one tree and shrubs on the installation spot, and do some other work while he was here. He ended up cutting down the mausoleum that was once the baldfaced hornet nest, thereby saving the exterminator man a trip back out.

We got to see it up close!

Then the chainsaw work began!

Even for an adult, it's pretty exciting to watch the technical work involved in bringing down trees. Although I do wish I could have been watching through a window from inside the air conditioned house! We stayed outside watching for two hours.

Mary was in charge of holding the ice water for the two gentlemen.

This time of year, there are so many cicadas singing their songs that one almost has to yell to be heard outside over the din. It is among the loudest of all insect songs! The cicadas discard their skins, leaving behind disgusting, crunchy exoskeletons all over the place, so one cannot ever sit down or place one hand's casually anywhere without looking first.

John enthusiastically came toward my face with a "cicada on a stick," causing me to shout in fear.

I was trying to take a charming picture of Mary examining something interesting, and snapped the photo at the same moment I realized she was holding one of those exoskeletons with her bare hands, causing me to begin shrieking like a little girl (but apparently not like my little girl, Mary, who doesn't yet have our cultural fear of bugs).

The lumberjacks went home and the delivery man with his Big Truck pulled up! The play set has arrived!

For a brief period, Chris set up the slide for the kids, always holding it with his hands so it wouldn't fall down.

This is the view from the back deck of the spot where the play set will be installed. One tree and three shrubs had to be removed. We like that it's easy to supervise from the deck, but is also off the lawn, which is a small portion of the back yard as it is.