My daughter running a chainsaw

There comes a special time in every little girl’s life when she needs to learn how to run a chainsaw.  For Abigail, my 9 year old, that time was Monday.  <sniff, sniff>  It sort of brings a tear to my eye thinking about how my little girl is growing up.  It seems like just yesterday we were learning how to make proper spitballs and here she is cutting trees with a saw.

She needs to lean into it!

I had been putting off this important milestone in Abigail’s life but the recent storms necessitated the removal of at least one of our trees that got pretty torn up.  I had promised Abigail I would build her a treehouse and one of the trees is perfect for it.

Emily took Isaac to tae kwon do so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to dig into the project.  What makes this chore particularly interesting is that it is 15 feet from my house and half of it hangs over the dining room and the main power line into the house.  I think that makes this a perfect tree for Abigail to cut upon.

My raspberries got thrashed by the storm…

I think a little appropriate danger is good.  But before you worry too much, we decided to do a lot of initial trimming with an electric chainsaw on the end of a long pole.  It’s still a serious chainsaw that makes quick work of wood, but nothing like a gas saw.  Anyhow, I guided the saw head while Abigail ran the power trigger.  We worked pretty well together as a team.  She was worried at first but once she took that special step of cutting her first branch, she really enjoyed running the saw.  I guess when it comes time to really cut the main parts of the tree, I will use the gas saw and keep her far away.  Some day though, I will have to teach Abigail the special thrill of hanging on a ladder cutting a tree right as the sun is crossing the horizon leaving the cutter to wonder if he is cutting the right branch or the leg of the ladder.  Ahhh…growing up…