Cleaning Gutters

The parts of a tree that you typically see--trunk, branches, leaves--only comprise about one third of the tree's total biomass. Two thirds hang out underground, where the massive root systems anchor the plant, take up water, and infuse nutrients into the physiology of the tree. For all these reasons, trees need root systems to survive. And the usual place for trees to put their root systems is below ground, deep into the rich soil that resides underfoot. However, sometimes trees find creative places to start a root system, often attracted by other sources of thick, nutrient-rich material.

Like the gutters of our house.

That's right, when Jay (bless his heart) come over to help me clean the gutters of our house, we had small saplings growing up from our gutters. Their roots reached through the gutter screens--whole heckuva lotta good those did, eh?--and into the thick loamy mass of pine needles and leaves that had, over the years, taken up residence in the channels that were supposed to run water away from our house. I don't think the former owner had the gutters cleaned all that often.

The good news is that the gutters are well-fastened to the fascia. We tested this by ripping the screen off with brute force. Jay tells me that the screws that hold the gutter in place have been placed at minimum distance from each other for maximum hold. Cool. That means I'll be able to clean these gutters for several more years before replacing them.

Now if we can just reverse the slope on the north gutter so that water runs toward the downspout, we'll be all set.

~emrys