A family divided.  The kid has camp again this week, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  With the Kid occupied and me am at work, the Planner borrowed the tractor again to piddle at the property during his family free week.  Not me, I’d spend my family free time at home in the AC drawing on the house plans.  It may not be the dog days of summer but temperatures will still be in the upper 90’s with a heat index in the low 100’s.  To each their own.

Before he could even get started trees had to be trimmed to clear the trailer and tractor.  These trees were cleaned up two weeks ago during our staycation and now have adjusted to their new positions.  It was debated in removing the entire tree but decided one limb at a time was better. 

Once the tree is gone, it’s gone and replacements take years.  Oh, and pay no attention to the fact the Planner is standing on the gooseneck trailer to trim the tree.  Details like that could drive a safe person crazy.

Limbs were not the only evidence that two weeks have gone by since the Staycation.  Several plants are rearing their heads in the newly cleared areas.  Some are good like this palmetto the size of an adult’s palm. Palmettos are a native plant and come in various varieties. It is too early for me to determine types.  At this point, every effort is being made to preserve any palmettos.

Some plants are bad like these briars.  Briar comes in several forms: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Briar grows very rapidly and takes time to eradicate.  In two weeks this plant grew almost two feet.

The briar has curly tendrils, thorns, and is bright green in color.  As the briar gets larger and older, the thorns become thicker and harder.

The briar has root balls that spread under the sand like a frayed ribbon. Each of the frays is covered in little, tiny, sharp, sticky thorns. Evil, Evil, Evil. Briar of this variety means the ground has been robbed of native grasses and vegetation due to lack of adequate sunlight and overgrazing. Once we start brush clearing, allowing more natural light, the native coastal will come back and it will naturally choke out nasty briar bushes. Constant diligence and time. Lots and lots of time.