Not being able to see the forest for the trees is not always a metaphor. I could literally not see the forest that surrounds the cabin because there were trees (and junk) in the way. There was a definite claustrophobia to the property that kept it dark and damp and even foreboding at times. Unhealthy trees crowded and strangling each other, the forest floors starved for light under the years of leaf litter. Even after much of the junk was gone it still felt dead.

Sometimes you just have prune things back hard, and in some cases remove them all together to let the sun and air in. I know people’s instinct is to save all the trees, but in this case the trees were harming each other and the health of the building. There are probably only half the trees in the area surrounding the house now, and the sunlight and airflow has dried out the house and allowed the ground to drain and start supporting growth again.

This is now as “bare” as it will be. New specimen trees will be planted, and formal garden areas will be created around the cabin. Which will be set against the background of the mostly untouched forest on 3 sides and the creek frontage on the other.