This past week we’ve been trying to get some minor things done around the yard. We’re *still* raking leaves, cleaning up branches, trying to get rid of a stump, and contemplating what to do with all the ivy we have.

I didn’t even notice the stump since it’s pretty flush to the ground, but apparently it’s annoying to mow around it.

My husband bought this based on a recommendation from an employee at True Value. Apparently, you’re supposed to use lighter fluid and light it on fire to actually get rid of it faster, but it doesn’t say that on the outside of the bottle, so we weren’t prepared for that. We (read he) just skipped that part and did the rest of the steps.

We haven’t checked to see if anything has happened yet. We might have to do some research into other methods.

We still have a bunch of downed branches from an ice storm. This is about half of what we collected and there are still some huge ones along the road.

Somehow, we still have leaves, but it feels good to clear them out and find flower beds (and random rock piles, bird houses, and plastic frogs?).

Almost done with the leaves.

Probably the most annoying problem is the ivy in the back corner. I’m not sure something *needs* to be done with it, but we don’t want it to spread any more. I’m wondering if we get rid of most of it, but then start piling leaves and branches and generally composting in the back corner if that will keep it at bay.

There is SO much of it.

Sometimes I envision the ivy is going to come alive and take over everything, or that it’s an alien life force but it just moves really really slow.

This is probably what it would look like to be devoured by it in the back corner.

I knew there was some sidewalk going in that direction (there used to be a pool, so there’s a lot of random concrete/sidewalk in the backyard), and I actually couldn’t even find where the concrete ends.

See all the random mounds there too? There’s an old slide, some cinder blocks, and we don’t know what’s under the other ones…probably where they hid the bodies?

Do you have any tips for getting rid of stumps and/or ivy?