Originally Posted by SeattleUte (Post 242160)

Thanks for the heartwarming story, Lebow.

Creekster, how high do roof rats jump? This particular tree is planted three stories and a pitched roof line beneath roof. It has a ways to go.

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute (Post 242277)

Roof rats - or any other vermin - are not a problem if you get yourself a really tough tomcat. We had one that killed everything that came within 2 blocks of our house, including a chihuahua. True story.

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski (Post 241668)

We have a nice Norwegian Maple growing in front of our house. Our home faces the west so it is starting to provide some shade for the hot summer afternoons. But it is growing very slowly. In the meantime, we notice a few years ago (3-4) that a wild tree had taken root next to our house (2-3 feet from the foundation) on the same side. It grew like crazy and we decided to just let it go for a bit and see what happens. I can't remember the name but it has big fern-like leaves and provides excellent shade. I keep lopping off the branches that grow towards the house so that it maintains some separation from my roof and soffit. It now shades the entire corner of the house and the two rooms on that side are much cooler in the evenings than they used to be.

We have a neighbor who is a tree expert. He has more than 30 species of trees in his yard and knows more on trees and gardening than anyone I have ever met. He came over a while back and we asked him if he thought we should cut down the tree. He said that as long as we keep it pruned such that it doesn't rest on the house or bump against it, it should be fine. He recommended that we keep it around until the maple is big enough to take over the shade duties.