After a storm a few weeks ago blew this tree down in the goat yard–
–we were left with firewood….
….and a big stump.
The tree used to be our “bird feeder” tree, and I really miss it.
We put the bird feeders back up temporarily on a smaller tree, which Glory Bee and the chickens have been enjoying.
The bird feeders are going back up, higher, on a new pole that’s just been put in at the spot where the tree was located. Glory Bee and the chickens are enjoying them way too much where there are.
And I like having the birds feeders right there, closer to the house. It’s far enough away that the birds aren’t skittish about our movements on the porch, but close enough to watch them and to zoom in with my camera to take pictures.
Meanwhile, we have this giant stump. The stump was torn completely out of the ground, so it can be moved and placed (with a tractor) anywhere.
We could toss it over the hill or– We could do something with it. The goats would enjoy it right where it is, but…. The most obvious idea is to put a flower pot on top of it. Or we could turn it into the pedastal of a rustic bird bath–all it needs is a big, decorative saucer on top. We could screw down some kind of garden art on top of it. Or it could be a garden chair! Cleaned up and polished, it could even make the base of a coffee table on the porch. Or–
I could stand on top of it and make stump speeches to my staff.
STAFF!
Okay, forget that.
We could plant the American flag in it and pretend we’re on the moon!
Anyone have any other ideas? Cuz I’m stumped.
Michelle says:
You cut the trunk too short for the coolest use I’ve ever seen for a stump. It’s turned upside down, and the roots are used to hang flowers in hanging baskets!
On April 9, 2011 at 1:45 am
Blessing from a Wildflower says:
I remember when you did the mushroom spores, could the stump be used to grow mushrooms?~~HUGS~~
On April 9, 2011 at 2:35 am
Nona says:
Here in Pacific Northwest they take fallen trees and put the in the ground upside down for large bird mests. I sure look weird!
But I guess they know what they were doing.
On April 9, 2011 at 2:36 am
Nona says:
bird nest silly me!
On April 9, 2011 at 2:36 am
Lindsay says:
I was gonna say turn it upside down as well, but bury what used to be the top and plant low-growing flowering plants like sedum on it. You could include it in a little, tucked away part of the garden ‘where the fairies live.’ Include mushrooms (well, they’ll find it soon enough anyway), and maybe a little toad house.
You could use a drill to scoop out a bit of the exposed part, enough to put give a planter some leverage so it wouldn’t tip over, and then place a planter with maybe some bulbs (daffodils maybe?) in the middle and something that would drape nicely over the sides of the planter, like ivy. Put some little solar lights around the base and it’d be pretty even at night.
Looks like you cut off the longer roots, you could clean ’em off and add some low feet to make a plant stand for the porch. Stand a planter on the top like the above idea. Although maybe that wouldn’t work bc it sounds heavy.
On April 9, 2011 at 3:49 am
Karen Anne says:
firewood.
On April 9, 2011 at 4:50 am
Tracey In Paradise Pa. says:
:woof: firewood. I m cold again this morning..lol
Spring?
Granny Trace
http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com
On April 9, 2011 at 7:03 am
kerri says:
You worked the punch line in well, Suzanne 🙂 Thanks for the smiles this morning :happyflower:
I like your idea of the stump speeches 😉
It was a good old tree in its time.
Wishing you lots of sunshine tiday! :sun:
On April 9, 2011 at 7:27 am
Carol says:
Reminds me if The Giving Tree!!
On April 9, 2011 at 8:06 am
Jane says:
Side table for the porch? I love this one: https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/stumped-how-to-make-a-tree-stump-table
On April 9, 2011 at 8:16 am
trish c says:
Stump speeches made me laugh. You sure know how to write a great post! lol lol 😆 :sun:
On April 9, 2011 at 8:48 am
texwisgirl says:
i’m leaning towards bird bath with a nice platter on top…
On April 9, 2011 at 8:49 am
skippymom says:
I vote for what Jane said – and the link she provided. That table is amazing!
Nice find Jane. 🙂
On April 9, 2011 at 8:51 am
Nancy Stickler says:
Haha…Suzanne the comic! I know it would become some kind of planter with ivy trailing down the sides in my yard…everything does!
On April 9, 2011 at 11:09 am
Annie says:
In the fourth picture, did you notice the cat looking up at the birds?
On April 9, 2011 at 11:09 am
Tina says:
You sure are a hoot! Hollering “STAFF!” at the chicken’s turned backs. Too funny!
On April 9, 2011 at 11:10 am
Enjay says:
I like the stump table too, only I’m a bit more rustic. I’d wash off the dirt, whomp it on the porch and set my sweet tea on it.
On April 9, 2011 at 11:35 am
WatkinsGal says:
A storm destroyed our patio table. The top round portion of the table was fine, just the legs were destroyed. So, when the hedge tree died, we left the stump and screwed the top of the metal table to the stump. Perfect place for flower pots, a jug of sun tea, or the cats. Also, makes for an interesting conversational piece!
On April 9, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Melissa says:
Something viney that will bloom and over take it.
On April 9, 2011 at 12:37 pm
drucillajoy says:
a birdbath with an old unused sattelite dish screwed onto the top of it.
On April 9, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Sarah Jones says:
I thought ‘table’ as soon as I saw it.
On April 9, 2011 at 1:01 pm
0rlasha says:
Have you ever tried making a big sand cast leaf birdbath? They’re fun to make and look pretty. I made several out of rhubarb leaves last summer. They turned out really nice! Instructions here… http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/53birdbath1.php
On April 9, 2011 at 1:15 pm
The Art of Doing Stuff says:
I also think you should make the table shown in the link shown earlier. Of course … I may be a bit biased towards that particular link and table. 🙂 I’m actually making another one which I’m not putting legs on and am going to whitewash. The stump table … it’s addictive without the pesky need for rehab. ~ karen
On April 9, 2011 at 1:40 pm
wickedgoodshari says:
I like putting stumps and logs back into the goat pen for the goats to play upon.
On April 9, 2011 at 5:09 pm
etgal says:
Too funny, made me laugh out loud. Your posts make my day. Can’t think firewood – it was 91 degrees here in East Texas -whew, but the garden is in full tilt despite ‘way too hot’ for April. hugs to you and all the critter family.
On April 9, 2011 at 5:50 pm
jan~n~tn says:
I think turning it upside down, and nesting one of those “sand cast leaf birdbaths” in the cleaned root system, would be an awesome place for your birdies to bathe and preen. You could have the best of three if you added some small plants in other nooks and crannies(comment #5).
On April 9, 2011 at 6:35 pm
holstein woman says:
I don’t know, those two sites are nice and would both make good additions to your home, inside or outside. I saw a tree stump in a yard with the limbs cut even and straight with birdhouses on each limb, but of course you can’t do that with yours. It would make a nice cat scratch post.
On April 10, 2011 at 9:49 am
Kat says:
Drill holes in it for orchard mason bee homes.
On April 10, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Ramona says:
Sorry about your tree. I hate it when we lose one.
On April 11, 2011 at 11:20 am
Diana says:
Google “stump gardens”, lots of ideas out there!
On April 11, 2011 at 11:24 am
Theresa B says:
How about placing a bowl in it and using it as a bird bath or watering hole for the farm animals….or a bowl with rustic dip for chips…My brother;with his dremel carving tool carves things into stumps. He has mushrooms, flowers and even small rodents carved out!
On April 11, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Jean says:
I think it would make a lovely table in which to serve the cookies on. That way you could teach all of the critters some manners and the social graces! Laughing!
On April 12, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Runningtrails says:
Looks like you could cut another two feet of firewood off of it 🙂
On April 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Dawn says:
I’m with Wickedgoodshari. Your stump problem is a goat’s treasure. Something to hop on and thrill their inner kid. Or… you could chop it down a little more, process through a wood chipper and use the chips for a pathway in a muddy area.
On April 17, 2011 at 9:24 am
Peculiar Cat Mama says:
Use the stump as a place to sit – it’s even more ideal because it’s portable. That’s what we do. That and paint buckets.
On July 7, 2011 at 1:29 pm