We started at 2:30 Thursday afternoon and finished cutting all 805 canes down by 4:15, minus a homemade bread and orange juice break.
By we, I mean my neighbor Carson and myself. Now Carson did all the hard work cutting all 805 canes with the lopper. He tried first with the weed eater with a blade on it but it didn’t work as well so he went back to the loppers.
My part was dragging the canes out of the way as he cut them down and stacking them in piles of ten for easy counting.
Yes, I count them just for fun and compare years. Last year he cut 920 canes. It was less this year because last August he helped me make a cane room and had to cut several canes out of the middle to make the cane room.
Each spring the 10-12 foot canes have to be cut down to the ground to allow the new canes to come up.
A start of this cane, Arundo donax, sometimes called giant cane or giant reed, was given to Jim and me many years ago by our neighbor Donna.
It has since grown to 26 feet in circumference with a 12 foot circle cut out of the middle for the cane room that holds two chairs and a little table.
And yes, 16-year old Carson is a Godsend when it comes time to cut the canes down each spring.
I used to do it all by myself, taking several days to do it a little at a time, whereas he does it in a few hours.
And I especially appreciate him when it comes time to drag all 805 of those canes to the woods.
Last year he tied a chain around half of them at a time and pulled them with his four-wheeler, making only two trips. This year he plans to use his truck.
I sure thank God for neighbors who help me, who make life easier for this almost 81-year old.
I especially like this verse from Isaiah 46:4 GNT.
“I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you. I will give you help and rescue you.”
A pretty good promise I must say and He is doing a good job of it, thanks to Carson!
Love in Jesus,
God’s “cane-cutting” servant,
Liz Ray
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