Yeah, "assumed the layers were intact" is the part that gets me. @hart.ryan, did they publish any thin section photos or just the field descriptions? Without micromorphology it's hard to trust that those deposits really are in their original position.

Buddy of mine had a similar meltdown after he spent three days hand-stitching a saddle and the horse spooked and kicked a hole right through the seat. He didn't touch leather for a month after that.

Wait, so she told you you've been doing them wrong this whole time? What exactly did she say was the right way cause I've been using my regular metal tool and I feel like I'm about to drop it every time. That's crazy to me cause I've watched so many videos and thought I had it down. I swear if someone told me I was mangling people's faces this late in the game I'd be shook.

the_jennifer, I have to gently push back on one thing you said. You mentioned "making a name and getting your foot in the door before you start jacking up prices." The problem is, tree work is different from something like freelance writing or design. If you lowball a dangerous removal, you're not just leaving money on the table, you're taking on serious liability for way less than the risk is worth. One bad fall or damaged roof because you were rushing to keep costs down can wipe out years of cheap jobs.

Did you have any trouble with damping off those first few days on the mat, or did the timer help you avoid that? I always worry about keeping them too wet and warm once they pop up, especially with tomatoes. Seems like a fine line between giving them a good start and cooking the roots.