Perfect pitch

This morning, I tried out our new set of clippers, clearing away dead branches and branches that were in the way along our back fence. The maples are in charge, with trees large and small. The pines along our back fence had branches that were thick at the base, making it difficult to clear away the leaves and clutter. When I was done with the cleanup, my hands had a familiar smell that took me back 50 years. 
There were lots of pine trees in the back of the house where I grew up. So, it seemed as though my hands and clothes were always covered in the rich, sticky pitch. They were good climbing trees for a kid, branches every foot or so. It was easy to get 40 feet above the ground and survey the neighborhood. There's probably no better place for a kid, getting high off the ground on his own strength, brought to a height where you could see far.
At this house, we have a couple fairly good climbing trees. The maple tree on the east side of the house is probably ok, but there aren't any low branches to give a kid a leg up. Our tallest tree, the ailing spruce out front, has branches that are too close together so there's no room for climbing. The honey locust looks good, strong branches and plenty of space. There were a couple of pine trees right behind the house when we first moved here. They were too close to the house and we had them taken out when we put in the back deck.