Story Info
Story Info
Marla Ferguson-Leak
My backyard in Grand Junction, Colorado
2023
Type of Wounded Place
Story & Experience
When we moved to our new home in Grand Junction last November there was a very large tree in our backyard that had all of its major limbs cut off. It was naked and dying. The story we were told is that a cougar would kill a deer or other animal and drag it up to the top of the tree to eat it. It also attacked the pet dog of the the previous owner. So, the owner cut the tree to bare bones so the cougar would no longer make the tree its dining room. The poor dead tree was indeed an eyesore and once it got warm enough this spring we had it completely cut down. The pile of wood chips in the photo is all that is left and made a Rad Joy bird there. We will use the wood chips as compost for other areas of our yard and they will encourage new growth of other trees and plants. While it was indeed sad that the tree had to be cut down and that the cougar no longer had a safe place to eat I’m happy that we will be able to repurpose the tree for new growth. We also planted a new tree in another location in the yard to honor the one that died.
When we moved to our new home in Grand Junction last November there was a very large tree in our backyard that had all of its major limbs cut off. It was naked and dying. The story we were told is that a cougar would kill a deer or other animal and drag it up to the top of the tree to eat it. It also attacked the pet dog of the the previous owner. So, the owner cut the tree to bare bones so the cougar would no longer make the tree its dining room. The poor dead tree was indeed an eyesore and once it got warm enough this spring we had it completely cut down. The pile of wood chips in the photo is all that is left and made a Rad Joy bird there. We will use the wood chips as compost for other areas of our yard and they will encourage new growth of other trees and plants. While it was indeed sad that the tree had to be cut down and that the cougar no longer had a safe place to eat I’m happy that we will be able to repurpose the tree for new growth. We also planted a new tree in another location in the yard to honor the one that died.
Why this Place?
My backyard in Grand Junction, Colorado
When we moved to our new home in Grand Junction last November there was a very large tree in our backyard that had all of its major limbs cut off. It was naked and dying. The story we were told is that a cougar would kill a deer or other animal and drag it up to the top of the tree to eat it. It also attacked the pet dog of the the previous owner. So, the owner cut the tree to bare bones so the cougar would no longer make the tree its dining room. The poor dead tree was indeed an eyesore and once it got warm enough this spring we had it completely cut down. The pile of wood chips in the photo is all that is left and made a Rad Joy bird there. We will use the wood chips as compost for other areas of our yard and they will encourage new growth of other trees and plants. While it was indeed sad that the tree had to be cut down and that the cougar no longer had a safe place to eat I’m happy that we will be able to repurpose the tree for new growth. We also planted a new tree in another location in the yard to honor the one that died.
Act of Beauty
Say more about your actions and activity
I made the Rad Joy bird out of pieces of the dead bark from the tree and some dead roses.
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