The section on the right is full of fir cones instead of wood shavings. Looks just as good and works well for areas that don't get much traffic - and the price is right! It just makes sense not to pay to remove them and then pay to get mulch.

But to get back to being of two minds - the neighbour happened to be outside as well and called to me to point out a young squirrel slowly moving along the top of the fence between our yards. The squirrel desperately wanted to get up into the safety of my fir tree (where he/she often spends time by the look of the peanut shells beneath it!). I was between the squirrel and the tree. The squirrel would look at me and take a few steps, then stop and look some more. Obviously not certain whether I was friend or foe, it was weighing the importance of reaching that particular tree for safety against the threat that I may pose. Now, I should be honest and admit that the squirrel and I have had eye to eye contact before, so it did have a history on which to base its decision to take one last charge across the last few feet and up the tree, where it lay along a branch and watched me some more.

The camera, of course, was several feet away from me on the patio table! No good at all over there! But I do have some previous pictures of a squirrel that will do. This may well be one of its offspring. Who's to know? Although I reluctantly admit I do talk to it, I haven't yet had an answer back (chuckle, chuckle).

Deciding which way to go.

But, without trying to give animals human feelings, I could see/sense what was going on in its brain, because I have had that dilemma  myself. Not certain whether what I wanted to do was really worth the risk I had to take to accomplish the job. I used to sit and write a list of pros and cons and 'logic' it to death. Now I just try to listen to what my heart says, because I have found that logic may not send you in the right direction. Like the little squirrel, sometimes taking that chance is what you want to do, what you need to do, and not half the risk you expect it to be.