snow.
digging out rocks in the snow ended up being worth the effort. the tree is now standing, as straight and sturdy as we're going to get it. we'd better be careful to balance the weight of the ornaments as we decorate the tree. chris mentioned the possibility of guy wires.
as soon as the tree was relatively stable, it seemed to me it would look much better if we had it on a small, low table. chris suggested this would have been a fine idea if we had done it before putting in all the stones, gravel, and water. he's right. moving it now would be too complicated.
...as you are able. 