deeds of the day

I just looked at the site counter on my blog. Only 14 visits today. Yes, it was exquisite. An October blue sky, gentle breeze, clear as a bell and 67 degrees. Anyone would be punished to be inside, especially my children who just want to play video games. Surfing the net or reading blogs would be sin on a day like this.
Will ended up bagging the goo from Allison's raking and trimming. There were about 20 lawn bags full.
I wielded a chainsaw nearly all day today when I wasn't picking up or dropping off Molly according to her social schedule. My forearms are aching and my shoulders are vibrating. The house next door is still up for sale and they've had some contractors out fixing the place up. There was a hickory tree down in the backyard, so I asked if I could have it. Sure, we were just going to haul it away. So I went at it last week and sectioned it enough to roll it over into our yard. I've got to tell you, hickory is the hardest substance found on earth. I almost started a fire in the leaves when I tried to cut that tree. So next day, Allison took the chains to be sharpened. No problem now I thought, until I started cutting again. Now it just took 5 minutes longer to build up enough friction heat to catch the wood on fire while the saw just spins but doesn't cut. I've burned a tank of gas every evening this week and 3 today getting that tree cut to fireplace lengths. Finally done.
The guy in back of us is clearing a place for a garage to house his two '60s vintage Mustangs. When he saw me cutting the hickory, he offered me the trees he'd cut. So I ended up with another hickory, 3 oaks and a birch. All but the birch were already cut to length. After I cut the hickory, I went back in the woods and cut down a dead oak that was leaning way over.
I've got enough fire wood to last several years, I think. I burned two large oaks this winter.
Anyway, I was just telling you why my arms hurt so badly.
When I came inside and showered, I decided to sit on the front porch for a minute. I sat down in the rocking chair and looked over at the corner of the porch. There is a trumpeting flower bush of some sort over there that must have just bloomed today. I've never seen those flowers before. I don't think it bloomed at all last year. I thought to myself, the hummingbirds would love that. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard the buzz of what I thought was a very large bumble bee looking to drill in my porch rails. I looked up and there, a foot from my face was the year's first hummingbird, come to check out my trumpeting flowers of some sort bush. He stared into my eyes, checked out the top and both sides of my head to make sure I was the same guy who sat in that rocker last year, tried to find some nectar in the dry feeder and then flew off.
This is the VERY earliest I've ever seen a hummingbird. They usually make an appearance in early June and then disappear until late July when there are fewer blooms and they need my help.
So those are the deeds of the day. I've got a fire on the deck burning brush from my chainsaw, yard cleaning extravaganza and a clear sky to stare into. I've got to move again at midnight to go pick up Jack from his Atlanta field trip.
Back to the deck...