Black Crescents

Otherwise known as dirty fingernails. My usual Spring fashion look, sadly.

Anyway, remember when we took this tree down.

The tree that was primarily responsible for bracing our fence (along help from the occasional extra tire, a two-by-four and some branches from a defunct pussywillow).

The fence that then promptly blew over on a not so mild Spring day.

But which gave us more room to grub out the roots which we wisely let the professionals stump-grind.

We were left with a nice hole that Kharma appreciated until we filled it in with lovely humus and some compost.

Whoa, how did I get caught up in such painful garden memories?! Might have something to do with spending the morning trying to dig a hole for my yew bush. Times like this I wonder how in the world did the pioneers clear their fields? They didn't have stump-grinders. I guess they had oxen and chains and strong twelve-year-old sons with more energy than sense. Where are those oxen when you need'em?


The fence re-do eliminated my dwarf Alberta spruce, the sole evergreen in the yard. I'd fallen in love with the softness of yews earlier and it gave me the opportunity to introduce a pair into the yard. I've learned not to buy plants impulsively (ha! who am I kidding?) when I own a mature landscape. Because I've killed many plants by simply not having a place to put them right away and I feel guilty every time.

But now the entire section which used to be occupied by our pin oak and shade plants is bare, absolutely naked of plants. It's a blank slate and I love every inch of possibilities.

The first yew hole was easy to dig, the second turned out to be a knot of lateral oak roots hiding right where I wanted to plant. I excavated the soil, grabbed my leather gloves and the axe, and filled a box with wood chips. One long sweaty morning and several dirty fingernails later, I succeeded in a hole big enough to plant one measly little five-gallon bush.

Anyway, the yews are planted, along with one miniature rosebush. It's a first small step toward summer greenery. And tonight we have a gentle rain pitter-pattering on our new landscaping. Maybe I'll get to see how the yews look with a little powdery snow on them tomorrow.