AOK Corral

08/27/2026

12 trees down…ZERO TO GO!

08/24/2026

Got a medium size tree down this morning before church. The stump looks like a clover!
1 more down….TWO TO GO!

08/23/2026

3 more down 3 to go! Yeah yeah! Yesterday’s conundrum was getting the tree down without it going into the neighbors yard, or worse, damaging their fence. As you can see, I was mostly successful (there may actually be a small brach in their yard 🤫). I had to do two branches that way, I cut until I heard a crack, then I got on the ground and used the rope to pull the branch into my yard…ish. Still tired and sore, but my body is starting to get back into the swing of this. It feels good 💪🏼

08/20/2026

Well, today I only took down 2 trees. But in my defense/self encouragement, the one tree probably equaled 3 trees…maybe 2. But geesh I am again tired, but excited to see the land opening up for the horses.

I ran into a few challenges today. 1: My extension cords are not long enough to reach the last SIX trees. So I gotta buy a new one before Saturday(oh darn 🤠). 2: My baby chainsaw(yes, I have 2 chainsaws, don’t you?) had a dead battery and loose chain. Thankfully it only took an hour to charge and I quickly figured out how to tighten the chain. 3: I think todays juniper was the tallest one I will be cutting down, this made getting it down tricky. I am NOT a lumberjack, I really have no clue what Im doing. Maybe just a little clue. I am pretty sure that if one side of the tree is heavier, thats the way it will fall….if I cut the opposite side of the tree. So far, it’s worked. But to be safe, as soon as I hear that first crack, I quickly move a safe distance away.

At the end of the day I thank Jesus that I get to live this life, that they are trees not cactus, and especially that I am safe. Well, 6 down 6 to go! Woah wait! IM HALFWAY THERE!

08/19/2026

Well I got busy today. What phase were we on at the ranch in Tucson? Either way, I think we need to start over.

Mission Williams Arena has commenced!

Today I got a 40 yard dumpster delivered and got busy filling it(I only have it 10 days). I think I managed to get 4 trees down and loaded in the dumpster(3 of the trees were small). Im keeping the big parts of the trees to save space and weight. Besides, I can use all that wood. I just don’t want to strip branches and have the needles create a fire hazard. Its also really nice not having stacks of branches everywhere. Im not used to this level of work anymore, Im beat. Time to get back in shape, RANCH STRONG!

08/10/2026

I have decided that digging up juniper stumps is for the birds….although it will take them a long while🤔 I have decided that Im gonna cut the stumps as close to the ground as I can and then rent a stump grinder! Yeah yeah! A big saw on wheels!

Get your yard in order by learning how to remove a tree stump, and ...

08/10/2026

Trees vs Cactus

Which is easier to remove?

I will take cutting tree branches off over cholla cactus arms any day! By far, branches are easier and not as deadly/painful. But I need a dumpster or trailer before I can continue that road. When it comes to the stumps, I think Im begrudgingly going to give that win to…the…cactus. I spent a few hours on a juniper tree stump today, and barely put a dent in it! I even got a cool tool to help me out, a rotary hammer drill/hammer jack. I think I need more practice with it. It cut the little roots like butter, but didn’t touch the big ones. I still utilized it in other ways and love it! I used it to expose the roots then used tree trimmers and hand saws to cut the roots. Ill be back at it tomorrow….I wonder how long it will take me….🤔. Im thinking Ill have to cut the trees down, put the fence up, then slowly tackle all the stumps.

08/09/2026

Wow, it’s been a month since I have posted. How in the world does a month zip by. I’m a little bummed with myself, I could have gotten so much work done in a month, but I only have a little to show for it. I don’t even think I have ridden in the month. But I do have horses that have been fed and loved on(Aspen and the other animals too). What happened, one word, depression(and rain…mainly depression though) I got stuck. And it wasn’t a normal depression it was caffeine induced depression. I noticed any coffee was making me anxious, angry, followed by depressed. So I was trying to cut coffee out and found any caffeine is making me feel the same. My beautiful friend told me that during menopause (gosh, I feel old) caffeine blocks your calming sensors. So you get stuck in fight or flight. Yup, thats what I felt like. So I slowly had to cut coffee out and Im trying to find a replacement. Dandelion is my current attempt since cacao makes me anxious 😩Heres hoping!

Today I did feel good enough to get outside and do things. Aspen and I went to 2 farmers markets (yeah, I love small town living) and then I worked on taking out a tree, which ended up being 3 big branches.l. I only did what could fit in the trash can, since I don’t want the needles drying out, crumbling, and creating a fire hazard. Not too bad for my first day back. Now its rodeo time! 🤠