As of about an hour ago, we had a Joshua tree in our new house’s back yard. I posted an ad on KSL.com to see if anyone would actually want this tree before I chopped it down and got rid of it.

The ad had 200 views within 48 hours. Now, about a month later, it’s had 400 and it’s time to take the ad down because some guy named Alex loves these things and came and got it.

The ad’s pretty funny, I’m told. So I thought I’d preserve it here for posterity. Not posterior, posterity. Here you go:

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This is an actual, honest-to-goodness, Joshua tree. Yes, the kind that is part of the yucca family. Yes, the kind that poses an actual risk to boisterous, easily distracted kids.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the photo and imagine a laughing child who is playing tag and looking behind her to make sure she’s staying ahead of her insane brother running full-tilt into that tree.

A gruesome image, to be sure.

I have dubbed this tree Vlad the Impaler.

We just bought and moved into this home and I am beginning the renovation of the back yard. Imagine my delight when I recognized the Joshua tree, with U2 songs instantly cueing up in my head. Imagine my surprise when I reached for the tree and cursed at the dot of blood that welled up.

Imagine my embarrassed rage when I forgot it was there and stood up under it, causing some involuntary acupuncture in my cranium.

Please take this tree before I stake it in the heart, throw holy water on it, and burn it. Or at least before Kate Beckinsale finds it and falls in love with it.

Also, Buffy says she’s on her way and the clock’s ticking.

Act now and this medieval torture device can be yours!

(The ad may be funny, but the tree’s seriously for sale. Typically this kind of tree doesn’t like winter, but this one’s flourishing. Also, it’s $25 plus the effort and expense you go to in order to remove it from the ground.)

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What do you think? Funny? Overwrought? Too much? Too soon? Too soft?

What’s the funniest ad you’ve ever seen? Post the link in the comments and we can all chortle together.