Trees and other backyard menaces

We are extremely grateful to have made it through the storm safely and with little damage. We do have five or six trees down in our yard (mainly in our side yard and towards the back of our lot), but nothing hit the house or caused damage to us or our property. Sadly, hundreds of people in the state were not as lucky, with 128 deaths (as of early this morning - that number is sure to rise) and unfathomable devastation throughout the state.

David and I have talked about removing some trees from our backyard ever since we moved into this house. We were mainly thinking about adding more open play space, and sun (so we could have better luck getting grass to grow). But with a long list of house projects in mind, tree removal has never made it to (or even near) the top of the priority list. Well, guess what? Now I can't even look at those trees without seeing missles aimed at my house (and my children's bedrooms). Yes, I know it takes a long time for trees to grow, and of course I love trees, but I love not getting my house sliced in half even better. There are about 9 trees on my hit list. Here is a shot of our backyard:



There's nothing like walking over a bunch of tree trunks and the top 30 feet of hundred foot tall pines to shake up the ol' project list. I will be able to sleep better at night when these trees are gone.