May 14, 2012

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So, it's raining again. Couldn't get much done. BUT, I did get the stump out of the hole. As you can see, I had to lay down some 2 x 4s. The plan was to sit on my butt at the lowest point possible, latch onto the stump and drag my butt and the stump up the boards. My fear? That the boards would spread open, and I, with the stump, would fall through. Or, they would pinch my butt cheeks, and I would be stuck with my baby-soft flesh stuck between two boards, maybe three. If that were to happen, my dilemma would be to either let go of the stump and start over or hold on and try to pull the pinched flesh out without letting go of the stump. Fortunately, neither happened.

What did happen? Because of the weight of the stump, I had to twist-drag it up the boards. Pull up one side, then the other, the whole time pushing my butt up the boards without dropping my feet to the ground or letting go of the stump. In fact, the stump was so heavy that I couldn't even relieve the tension on the stump, or it would have instantly slid down. This was definitely a case of 'get it done or start completely over.' As the stump passed ground level, with me barely hanging on, the boards teetered down. Scared me for a second. BEAUTIFUL!!! The boards, the stump, and I were now on ground level, just on the edge of the hole. Now I just pulled it a little farther and rolled it off the boards. I can't even guesstimate at its weight. My neighbor, who is fit, was questionable about BOTH of us trying to move it.

Now, what do I do with it? I'm thinking about using it as a core for a planting mound. As it slowly rots, it will provide heat and nutrients to anything growing on the mound.

The next two images just show how much dirt that I've moved so far. Disappointed that I didn't take more pictures from various angles and positions in the yard.