Hurricane Milton blew over several trees at the studio I am renting. To help out the landlady, I offered to pay 5 months rent up front so there could be a pool of money to help with the hurricane recovery efforts.
Two pine trees were removed from the back yard and this tree had been blown over, knocking over a fence and leaving a giant six foot high root ball.
Over several days I lit the roots on fire and kept the blazes contained by standing by with a garden hose. I was sure I could burn the entirety of the root ball to the ground.
The tree service guy, Paul, who had cut down and carted off several other trees was supposed to grind down this root ball with a mechanical grinder. He abandoned the job for over four months and that is why I started by burn campaign.
The landlady was in contact with Paul who had some stellar excuses for not renting the grinder and getting the job done. One of the more inspired excuses was that the wife of a friend of his had driven onto his property and smashed her car into some of his equipment. His friend had been accused of abuse and Paul sided with him. Other excuses were less colorful but just as inspired.
My landlady told me to stop with my controlled burns. She said I shouldn’t make Paul’s job any easier, and she was certain her negotiations would get him back on the job. I have less faith in human nature.
Since the root ball had been abandoned for so long, native plants had started to sprout on top. They were a crisp bright green showing signs of new life.
This burn didn’t last long. I didn’t have enough wood to keep the fire stoked. The interior roots were already charred and there was as much dirt as there was roots to burn.
The following month the grinding was finally completed. My landlady’s persistence and faith in human nature had prevailed.
With the huge root ball removed, there is now a hole in the ground and plenty of wood chips for mulch. I have been trying to level out the war torn landscape with a metal rake but progress is slow.
I have taken to wandering the yard bare foot to do the work. I feel more grounded but my feet are still tender and the wood chips are bloody sharp. I have one wood splinter in my left heel and I am wondering if it will ever come out. With every step the splinter is pushed deeper in. I have to assume my body will find a way to get the splinter out without me having to dig it out.
