Painting, Cleaning and Heavy Pruning

So here is some of the house/yard work Kit Kat was supervising this weekend. 

I finally got E to start painting on the deck.  She got one section done before heading back to Blacksburg.

I had an epiphany about how to clean the vinyl siding.  Instead of using a bucket and rag and rubbing each lap I decided to get a cheap sprayer and mop.  I sprayed on the dilute bleach then took the mop and wiped across the siding then hosed it off.  My hands never touched the water, it worked great!

Then here are the before and afters of cutting down stuff that has outgrown their spots.

Removing those 2 arborvitaes really opened up the front walk. 

I tormented about cutting down the red bud tree but in the end decided that the dogwood needed to go instead.

I think J will be able to get the mower through here better now. 

Then on the side of the house those 3 medium bushes just weren't working.  I tried topping them but still couldn't get them short enough to stay lower than the windows.  And the one J is cutting was right in front of the water spigot.  

I really don't miss any of it.  17 years of growing and now we are in the cutting down phase.