G, coming out of hibernation long enough to voice I’m real sorry to hear and see this, hope the family castle is back on line and repaired by now. Glad you guys are ok.
We had a nasty goblin come through about that same time and lost some big limbs off my big American elms, a pecan, a red bud, and off a hackberry (good riddance - trash @#$&!! tree), but all my trees next to the house are tough old red oaks and a burr, and held up well. Nothing like what you got as the Big Man was “looking out for idiots and small children” once again but a full day of chainsaw work.
Howdy to everybody and wishing you well, not as active here as in the past as life has been getting in the way and my crew I run at the office has gotten bigger and more time consuming and banks across the land are in choppy seas, but I look in on you guys from time to time to check on you, Parts, Rambo, Copass, Toby, kam, Sailor, Viking Joe and the rest. And still blazing up when I can, Rosebud still rocks but I think I’ve finally burned up the Tin Man (traeger) as the auger motor went democratic on me (no offense, old saying of my grandad), the heat shield looks like baby swiss, and there looks to be a hole burning through the side. Decided to save money on a rebuild and bought a portable Coleman gas passer instead and real happy with that - Little Red cracks 600 degrees in 5 minutes and grills a dozen burgers in 10.
Still need to finish my whiskey barrel smoker build project (this fall when cooker) so should have more time to talk then.
P.S. Red Shoulder mama hawk again raised a baby in the big pecan behind the house this spring and we got to watch Baby Bobblehead grow up. Mrs. Boots got many hours with her big camera documenting his progress. He still hangs around the house and has made himself useful - quite the little ratter, which I can always use. Every animal on the farm needs to pull some weight.
Be well brothers, see you soon “down the road” - Boots