It was with mixed emotions that I approached the dis-assembly of my two outdoor Halloween tress. I was pleased with their appearance on Halloween night. But after repeatedly running out into the wind and rain of late October to rapidly take them down and drag them to the safety of the front porch, my patience with them began to wear a little thin.
So as I prepared to take them down for the last time, after Halloween night, and put them into storage, I reflected on how I might use them in future years. They would never again grace the front yard as free-standing trees. That much was certain. The styrofoam I used had proven too thin, despite a wire and cement-block core, to withstand the incessant wind and rain of a Maritime October. But perhaps they could find new purpose. As indoor trees or as two-dimensional trees, resting securely against the side of the house or the porch railings. Out of the rain and wind. Yes, that could work.
While these possibilities revolved through my mind, I dis-assembled the trees, laid them on the floor of the porch and then turned my attention to the disassembly of the fence. At which point, my faithful cat, Lucky, climbed onto the porch, walked across the surface of the prostrate trees, paused, and began to . . . relieve himself on them.
All of which made my decision about the future of said trees much, much easier.