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On an overcast and dreary day, my husband went out back to battle the trees.

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If you remember, we planted 6 trees in the north forty 2 years ago. Four maples and two cherries. The maples are thriving, the cherries are dead… thanks in no small part to the deer who apparently see cherry wood and think “snack time”!

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Dry and brittle, my husband thought it would be a simple thing to rip them out of the ground.

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He was mistaken.

Our miserable backyard clay was not letting go.

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He pulled, he tugged, he dug, and finally resorted to sawing them down.

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Take that you stubborn dead tree.

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Healthy maple tree on the right.

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Dead cherry #2.

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Just as difficult to remove as #1.

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A hard fought battle.

But he was victorious .

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