The Istoriaphile’s Corner

There’s an ugly, dead tree at the bottom of my yard and I want it gone. One very ugly,dead tree Now, before you decide I’m some nut who wants to ruin the environment, let me admit the tree is dead. Also, I live in a place where Mother Nature needs editing more than encouragement. So, I’m not some terrible industrialist laying waste to the earth.  But I am someone who lost control of my world.  And I’m fighting to get it back. Our house sits at the back of 4/3s of an acre on the crest of a low-lying hill. Because we live on a slope and my husband does not love lawn care, much of our yard belongs to the wild things.  Trees and brush grow at the corners of the lot where birds and small animals make their homes.  As long as the foliage didn’t obscure the view or road to our house, that’s fine.  But then the ugly tree came along. It came up during one of our 48-hour springs that seem to launch straight into summer. In March, it was a straight little sapling that hugged the edge of the road.  By fall, it was too big…