MARK MY WORD: MOTHER NATURE TAKES A HIT IN WAR ON YARD

Mother Nature started it.

Then it snowballed like falling dominoes. Now, there's a battle being waged in our yard.

A few weeks ago, one of my tall trees split open in a storm, sending half of the massive thing crashing down. Along the way, it took out my tool shed.

After learning that the rest of the tree was likely to be a casualty in some future storm, we decided to have the whole tree removed.

Now there's a big stump where the tree once stood.

In recent days, one of my neighbors has trimmed a number of my trees, dismantled my wrecked metal shed and generally cleaned up the yard, all while I was at work.

I think he has spent more time in our yard than his own.

Consequently, our yard has never looked so good.

Our street is full of nice yards and neighbors who spend a lot of time trimming them into shape.

But our yard has always been the messy one. We tended to let Mother Nature take its course.

Weeds have had a field day. If our grass were a person, it would be in intensive care.

Fortunately, being grass, it can withstand a lot of neglect.

The point is, I don't sweat much over my yard. That fact that I'm allergic to every tree and grass in North America may have something to do with it.

My neighborly neighbor who volunteered his time the other day is amazed at just how many trees there are in my yard. There are no endangered species here.

When Joni and I bought the house a decade ago, they were already big trees.

One of the home's former owners must have thought of himself as Johnny Appleseed. There is no shortage of tall timber on our land.

My neighbor and I have concluded that serious surgery is in order.

He loaned me his pruning saw and I have begun to tackle all those enemy branches that are invading my yard.

With all the trees I have, I've contemplated calling in the Air Force for a bombing run or firing off a few cannons. Hand grenades won't do the trick.

But with environmental regulations being what they are, I don't believe the EPA would approve of using lethal force.

Still, like a surgeon, I'm ready to cut.

This isn't a hit-and-run attack. It's a full frontal assault on lurking limbs and battalions of branches.

You have to get fierce about stuff like this, I've learned. Otherwise, you'll soon settle for a cease fire lemonade break.

Before you know, you'll be back in your air-conditioned house armed with plenty of reasons to stay indoors and escape those humid summer days.

But this time, there's no retreat. With the Fourth of July approaching, I'm ready to declare my independence.

With the right equipment, anyone can be free.

My neighbor has volunteered to enter the fray if I need reinforcements. He also has a mulching machine, which could certainly help turn the tide.

All this is good news for me. It's nice to know that with a pruning saw, you can get an upper hand on Mother Nature.

Of course, I know this isn't a war to end all wars. Sooner or later, the enemy will reappear with more branch brigades.

But as long as I have a neighbor with some firepower, I should be able to keep those trees at bay.

Then, we might actually be able to see some fireworks from our backyard and even the dawn's early light.

I'm sure some of the wildlife in our yard doesn't appreciate the redevelopment efforts. But tearing down tree limbs seems a small price to pay for progress.

Besides, I'm not engaged in a scorched-earth policy, although the grass is clearly not greener in our yard. The trees will still be solidly rooted in our small corner of the world.

Even with a little pruning, my trees won't have that Disney World sculpted look.

But things will look a whole lot better above the ground. You could say things are looking up.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.