Burn pile

The city ordinance allows for three foot camp fires. The fire must be contained and attended at all times. I have ordered an extra garbage can as there is no yard waste service. The extra can is $10 a month extra. I just have to bring it up to the street with the other cans on garbage day. I checked into the costs of the other options. Having a big 300 gallon can is $100 deposit with a $10 pick up and $10 drop off fee and $2.50 a week rent. Go for the even bigger cans and the pick up and drop off fees go up to $120 plus the rent is by the day. I can get a lot of mini services in a regular can for $10. The regular cans are 90 gallons.

I filled this week's can to over flowing with ivy. I am clearing the wall out front so the hoop is fully exposed for games. With our cars in the garage, the driveway is ready at all times for a pick up game. I need to raise the hoop to standard height. Trevor commented on needing it at the right level. Easy fix I hope. I still have piles of dead ivy from last fall. With the new can coming I can load it up with the front yard debris every week.

Meanwhile, while I wait for my can to be delivered, I started gathering the downed tree branches and woody blackberry sticks that litter my back yard and toss it on the camp fire I built in the back yard. My neighbor comes out on his deck and tells me that I can't burn leaves. I tell him I am not burning leaves I am burning the trees I cut down. I tell him to look at my yard, I am trying to clean it up, give him a better view to look at. His yard is not much better than mine, but it is better.

He is not happy about the smoke. I ask him if he can shut his windows. What does he expect me to do with all this downed wood and more to come. Some of the wood is from previous owners. I can't bring in my lawn mower until the sticks are all gathered up. It is a long haul to the front yard. Camp fires are allowed from October to June. I have a window of opportunity.

I plan on moving my camp fire around the yard, no more than three feet big. I did a good job cleaning up the area I worked on. I will try not to make the fires on his side of the property so the smoke will hopefully go another direction than towards his house. I want to get those bushes put in between our houses so he doesn't have to see me at work. A couple of arborvitae and a Laural should give both of us a good screen.

This is the same neighbor that asked me not to start using noisy power tools before 9:00 am as he sleeps in. I tried to accommodate while putting the hard wood floors in the man cave. Smoke from my fire is a little more troublesome. I can't control where the smoke goes. The neighbor probably loved when the house was vacant as no one disturbed his peace.

Once everything is under control, he can have his peace back. I just need to get the yard under control. I have to say my complaining neighbor has neglected his house. It needs a paint job as the faded blue is noticeable. He has cardboard up on his windows to keep out the light. He also has blue tarp hanging over the sliding door of his deck, I assume to keep the heat in or the light out again. He occassionally mows his lawn but it is shrinking with my encroaching black berries. A work in progress, but no one seems to be working.


Riley came home from school. I thought he might like to hang out around the fire pit, but he had no interest. When I went to pick up Trevor from track, Riley took the hose I had out and poured water on the fire to put it out. He didn't want to tend the fire while I was gone.

I will start a new fire this weekend and get another area tended. I don't know what to do about my neighbor, but I am within my rights and the yard has to be tamed. The yard work will eventually end, but I do love my little fires.