I did not take a BEFORE picture, but there was a LOT to trim out; the 4-man crew got here around 7:00 and they were all still hard-at-it when I left for the gym a little before 1:00.  I did take an AFTER picture.  Major improvement!  

Trees 1 and 3 always bud first, which they have already started doing.  

Here's a shot of how pretty 1 turned out. 

On my way home from the gym I got cash at the bank, filled the gas tank, and dropped off a couple of books at the library.  As I was coming home down 35th Ave. I spotted a large sulcata, almost Pokey-sized, walking along heading right for the street!  I took a hard right and jumped out of my car and got there literally with inches to spare and 'redirected' it away from danger.  A man saw what was happening and also stopped.  The tortoise did not belong to the people who lived there, and (unlike Pokey) did not have a phone number written on it.   

 After several phone calls I finally got through to the Reptile Refuge, and Daniel was going to see about sending someone to pick it up.  In the meantime the people who lived there allowed me to put the tortoise inside their yard for safety.   

And the woman whose house it was just called to say that they had already arrived and picked it up.  That was fast!

That's enough excitement for one day.   

Think I'll go relax and listen to more of my book.