Back in late December, I posted photos of the damage done when an impudent wind storm dropped an old tree on a corral fence.  Astute readers may recall that the wind storm was the only winner: the tree was unequivocally separated from its roots (a thoroughly drastic action on par with separating Alex Rodriguez from his performance-enhancing drugs) and the fence transitioned from keeping the horses out of the yard to keeping the ground out of the sky (which, in retrospect, was an easier job for the fence, as the ground does not have four legs and an unquenchable desire to find greener grass).  The tree, having no mobility of its own and thus having no say in its career path, immediately took up the position of Horse Freedom Preventer.

This state of affairs was intended to be temporary, of course, but those familiar with both fence construction and the winter season — and I mean the real winter season, not the southern winter season that means it’s 60 degrees and we’re all going to die — know that freezing temperatures have a convincing way of hindering repairs to the fundamental structure of a fence: when the ground is frozen, fence posts in the ground stay in the ground, fence posts above the ground socialize in lumber yards and update their resumes to prepare for the inevitable hiring blitz of spring, and landowners with broken fences watch hockey.  Since the reconstruction plans had to wait, the tree’s HFP contract was extended through the practical end of winter (because more often than not the calendar end of winter has as much real-world relevance as Plaxico Burress has gun-safety skills).

Now, with the temperatures rising and the ground thawing, the tree has been put asunder by a corps of eager chainsaws and the pieces have been carried away by one happy wood-burning neighbor.  This, of course, has left a gaping hole whereby the horses might escape into the world they’ve been ogling from the safety of the corral; however, in the tree’s absence, clever use of a few ladders and the remaining detritus of the tree has both kept the horses confined to quarters and opened up the area for repairs.  So, three months after the wind storm, Engineer Bob has found himself with room to work and thawed ground to dig, and he has happily undertaken the overdue project of making the fence whole once again.

Can he fix it?  Yes he can! (4 April 2009)

Shown above is the post that was driven further into the ground by the falling tree; the lower part — the last two feet — of the post broke off, and like the crane in Michigan Stadium, remains in the ground because it was easier to leave it than it would have been to remove it.