Mistakes

Mistakes. We all make mistakes. Wise people learn from other peoples mistakes and smart people usually don't make the same mistake twice.

I made a notable mistake last month. I say notable to differentiate this particular mistake from the hundreds of other mistakes I made last month which, by and large, went unnoticed.

Don't worry. No lives were lost, nor were any baby seals harmed in the wake of my mistake. Although some time and money has been lost, no sub-prime, credit default swap, Lehman-esque repercussions are likely to be felt.

Thomas Edison made mistakes. More than 1000 of them on the way to the light bulb.

My boss is not upset with me about my mistake. (at least as far as I can tell)

But here it is, a little after 2 in the morning, and I'm writing about my mistake.

What I'm trying to say, in my own Dickensonian way is... I made a mistake.

The mistake?!

I mulched.

Mulched.

Like, you know, piled up some chopped grass.

Technically mulching wasn't the mistake. Mulching is an excellent practice that, when done by people who think things all the way through, adds beneficial organic matter to the soil while increasing it's water holding capacity and reducing erosion.

People who think things all the way through.

I know some, even married one (matrimonial choice excepted), but I'm more of the “think things all the way through right AFTER you do it” kind of guy.

So here I am thinking things through. Thinking out loud, so to speak, with those of you still reading.

So, as I said, mulching, or rather the circumstances surrounding what I'm sure will be called the “great mulching incident” or “mulch-gate” must be considered.

Here's what happened.

March and April of last year we planted about 850 African Palm trees in our East field. Young palms ask for very little during their first few years of life. It's simple really. Just feed them a couple of times a year, keep a small patch around them free of competing plants, and protect them from pests. We did the best we could, given budget constraints, to meet their simple requests and, with the exception of one isolated area, seemed to be well on our way to a mutually beneficial working relationship. Then at the beginning of this year we decided to try something. Something that we reasoned would reduce our need for expensive fertilizers and also cut down on, or maybe ever eliminate, our use of herbicide. That something was mulching. We would meet 2 of the 3 simple palm tree requests in one, trendsetting, chemical dependency breaking moment.

There in lies the rub. 2 out of 3, as it turns out, is not enough. All three requests are equally important and non-negotiable.

Remember how I said that we were having success “with the exception of one isolated area”? Well our lack of success in that area was due to rats. Shortly after planting, rats killed about 90% of the palm trees in one small area of the farm. This area is isolated by a seasonal creek bed, and our efforts to keep the problem from spreading seemed to be effective. Rats kill young palm trees by gnawing through the base of the tree. Ask any wise Honduran palm farmer how to avoid problems with rats and he will tell you to keep the area around the base of the tree clean, free of all weeds and debris. Hey, but what could they know. After all I've read over 3 books about growing palm trees and these guys can't even spell Elaeis guineensis.

Waiter, might you recommend a good wine to go with my crow?

You see, by putting a big pile of freshly chopped mulch around each and every palm tree in the East field I was creating the perfect environment for a rat population explosion. Rats know a good thing when they see it and, in just a matter of 2 weeks, they managed to destroy something close to 30% of our beautiful, healthy palm toddlers. That's like more than 200 trees.

So let's recap. Brad has an idea. Brad rejects the advise of people who know what they are talking about, Brad implements said plan. Brad looks on sheepishly as Brad's boss tells him that the neighbor of the palm field can hardly sleep due to the loud chewing noises emanating from said field. Brad seeks advise from people who know what the are talking about (but can not spell Elaeis guineensis) and enacts emergency palm field clean up legislation. Hondurans wonder how much more of Brad's “help” they can take.

Worst part, this won't be the last time.

Best part, whatever good is produced from our palm fields, heck, anything good that results from my time hear in this place will be a clear, unmistakeable witness to God's grace, and He alone will get the credit.