It’s been over a decade since we built our house on Greg’s family farm. Back then, there was so much cactus, scrap metal, and thorny brush on our portion of the land that we could barely move around on it, but we knew what a beautiful place it could be if it were cleared. It wasn’t easy or quick, and there is still a lot to be done, but we have made terrific progress–and when I say “we,” I mean Greg, because he’s the one who actually operates the chainsaw and burns the brush piles.
Some years back, I noticed a nice-shaped cedar tree that was visible from the house and said how pretty it would look with Christmas lights. At that point the cedar tree in question was surrounded by scrub and rusted farm equipment, so its Christmas prettifying was no more than a distant possibility. But as Greg continued to clear the land, my lighted cedar tree actually began to seem like an attainable goal.
This year, the dream came true.
Here’s the tree in its raw state.
You can’t see the scale here, but trust me when I say that the tree is large. Once the earth around it was cleared, our biggest challenge was how to actually get the lights on the tree. For the first few revolutions, a telescoping closet pole worked reasonably well.
After that, it was time for our tallest ladder and a specialized tool Greg made out of PVC pipe.
The ladder had to be walked around the tree over and over, and Greg had to repeatedly climb up and down to spiral the lights higher and higher into the branches. The PVC tool did the job, but was heavy and bendy, and the ground around the tree was none too level, so the ladder was often pitched at a weird angle. Also, it was a windy day.
My job was to feed the light strands around the tree, keeping them from getting caught in the cedar tree’s lower branches, or in the mesquite thorns and dewberry vines that covered the ground.
The cats were happy to participate in the process.
At long last, Greg wrapped the final strand around the tip of the tree.
We are thrilled with the results. The lit-up tree looks gorgeous from our front porch and living room…and it may have inspired a scene in my in-progress book!
What a gift Greg gave you to light up the special tree. And I know you helped. That is a novel all by itself.
It sure was! And it provided plenty of material for a scene at the end of Snowbound with the Rancher.