I put my boots on today and went for a walk thru the snow in the woods around the farm. Or tried to... I spent most of the time pulling branches and boughs off the paths, bent over bit walking forward when, '' Oh, that's why there's so many branches here- a toppled 50' hemlock across the path''

Ok, so back down the path I go and around on a different route... not far and there's an 80' cedar in the way and not just it... with its fall it took out another hemlock equal size and a couple of smaller trees 30'-40' and a whole mess of branches.

Last night I posted that I received to me from me a great Xmas gift- The English Garden by Ursula Buchan. After posting, I decided to page thru it again beforebed and noticed a photo from Prince Charles' Highgrove estate of a full shade garden dominated by some exposed stumps- a stumpery fashioned modernly after the Victorian style. I thought it was quite attractive mainly for the plants and the stumps looked cool too.

Now while walking and seeing the destruction from all the storms we've been getting, I've found the answer to the question,'' I can cut up the fallen trees for firewood and sell the good stuff to woodworkers, but what am I going to do with all these stumps?''

From destruction, inspiration... and a whole lot of work!!

... Don