REMOVING PALMETTO PALMS

BRYCE ON LIFE

- and the satisfaction derived thereof.

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We moved into our current residence about thirty years ago. At the time, we backed up to a bit of a Florida jungle, with pines, oaks, and several Palmetto Palms. At first, I thought the Palmettos gave the house a Florida feel to the property. There was one catch though, which I learned early on, you had to constantly maintain the Palmettos or they would grow out of control, bringing vines and vermin with them. So, once a year I would give them a "haircut" which was no small exercise. It took several hours to prune them back accordingly, and several garbage cans or bags to dispose of all the fauna.

As years went by, I finally acquiesced and hired workers to come in and clean out the Palmettos, along with the associated vines and weeds growing there. This became an expensive endeavor as it cost me thousands of dollars to maintain the property. I desperately wanted to put an end to this vicious cycle, so I finally contracted with a trio of companies to dig out the Palmettos, extend my sprinkler system and sod the area.

To do the job, my first contractor obtained a Bobcat digging machine to remove the Palmettos. If you are unfamiliar with Bobcats, think of it as a mini-bulldozer. Frankly, he saw it as a relatively easy job which shouldn't take much time to perform. Wow, was he in for a surprise. The Palmettos were so old, their root structures went deep in the sandy soil of Florida. At first I thought the Palmettos were getting the better of him. Nonetheless, he persevered. The roots were so deep, I thought the Bobcat would flip over as he tried to extract them. Slowly though, one by one, he successfully pulled them from the soil.

After all of this, my backyard currently looks like a moon landing, but this will all be corrected when the site is prepped for the sod, which is coming.

In hind-site, I had a strange sense of satisfaction from watching the removal of the Palmettos. This is something that had been a thorn in my side for several years. I was so disgusted by it, I often thought of pouring gasoline on them and burning them out which, of course, would see me ending up in jail. So, you can imagine my frustration in maintaining these palms.

Watching the removal of something as nagging as the Palmettos actually put a smile on my face. "Finally, it's over!" I said to myself, and I felt a great sense of gratification come over me, something I haven't experienced in a long time.

"Good, it's over, hot damn!" I thought and I poured myself a congratulatory drink.

This got me thinking, as to why I was so happy, and I realized it was a small victory for me. This was something that irritated me for years and I finally remedied the situation. As I grow older, I find it becomes necessary to keep things simple, and not to complicate life. Once the sod has been installed, I think I'm going to begin a campaign of cleaning out the garage and attic, and the house in general. Basically, I want to clean up the flotsam and jetsam surrounding me and stay as unencumbered as possible. That would be a huge victory and will undoubtedly cause another satisfying moment for me.

I guess satisfaction comes from doing a good job of divesting ourselves of the complications of life so we may live with fewer headaches and enjoy ourselves. I also do not want to leave a mess for my heirs to clean-up. No, "Keep It Simple Stupid" (the KISS approach) is my mantra now and I am looking for more satisfying moments.

I also discovered as you get older, it is wise to relish all of your victories, large or small, as they become fewer and far between.

Now, on to the garage. Charge!

Keep the Faith!

P.S. - For a listing of my books, click HERE.

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Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com

For Tim's columns, see:   timbryce.com

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Copyright © 2021 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

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