We have enjoyed the work of a monster machine on our property this week.

With a few acres of woodlands strangled by underbrush and thorny bushes we could not walk down to our creek banks,

Or through our juniper groves.

There were some pathways tucked among the tangled woods

and wildlife abounded, especially cottontails,

and probably snakes but the less said about those the better!

Gradually our grassy meadows were being encroached upon by the dense, twisting and throttling ivy winding its way high into the nether reaches of our trees and craftily putting out feelers along the the ground to gain more purchase on the open spaces.

As an Englishwoman I love the rustic, overgrown, cottage garden look.

Hubs likes the more manicured feel and every time he surveyed the covered land I think his heart sank a little deeper into his Texas soul.

For me there is a mysterious beauty in the wilderness,

For him there is nothing but a barrel-full  of hard work and an aching back.

Hubs thinks of me as The Wife of Noble Character in Proverbs 31:10-31.

He framed the words for me and I keep them in my office.

I am particularly taken by verse 16 where she considers a field and buys it and plants a vineyard.

One morning I heard rumblings from a neighboring field.

I discovered they were having some land under their trees cleared to provide more pasture for their cattle.

“Five acres!” she told me, “their machines cut, clear and mulch all in one go, no wood to dispose of!”

I was inspired and saw the owner of this amazing machine as I passed by on one of my walks.  He had two shepherd pups that gave me an excuse to stop and ask for a card.

Before long he arrived at Footlights ready to coax his organic contraption between our trees in 6 foot swathes.

He started at the front and bulldozed his way into the dim interior of our front juniper copse.

I was quite taken aback by the speed with which this apparatus applied itself.

Before its driver could go too much further and completely strip the land Hubs and I decided to call a halt and take a walk with Kash and his dogs while we laid our combined visions for the land before him.

“Perhaps your machine is just a tad too big for our needs,”  we suggested gently.

Of course…it is the one who sits behind the controls that decides where to go and how much damage to inflict.

We asked him kindly,

“Can your grinder be more selective?

“Is it able to leave the larger trees, those more than 3 inches in diameter?

“Can it clear between the junipers without taking them down?

“How about just cutting down the undergrowth and leaving the woods?”

“Yes, of course…” he answered.

And we could tell he realized we were asking him to slow down,

Proceed with caution.

Kash and his grinder took a more deliberate path between the oaks and bois d’arcs and we could soon see we were going to get what we desired.

As we followed along we looked more closely,

“See all these wild shrubs and prickly, scrambling vines?” Hubs gestured to our tangle-woods. “I bet some of this brambly growth has probably never been cleared.”

I smiled and imagined finding Sleeping Beauty…

We spent the next two days watching as the grinder tore into the small trees and mulched them up spitting them far off into the woods.

The giant has finished its work of reclamation.

I can follow the trickle of water along three sides of my land now,

And catch glimpses of the cottontails as they scurry to their burrows.

I am left to make the open spaces a place where visitors can find some peace and quiet among the woodlands.

I can’t wait to dot the new pathways with benches and chairs,

Sow wild flowers and bluebells in the wood slivers,

And watch as nature clothes the empty branches with fresh green leaves.

Our retreat centre is slowly taking shape like the vineyard.

I am interested to see where God is going next.

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