Full Days

The front yard received its first haircut of the year in the early morning coolness, though it wasn’t cool enough to keep the sweat from happening. Folks, this summer is going to be a doozy I think.

The boys all emerged after the front yard was done, and spurred by a desire to surprise their Dad (so he wouldn’t have to do it this weekend), we went to work on the back yard. Since I had all three helpers willing and able, Jace cut the hill (the hardest part of the entire property!) while Sam and Isaiah picked up all the odds and ends strewn about in the grass. Once that was done, we went ahead and plotted out where we would set up our garden and moved the large (and heavy) planks of wood that I had been planning to use to build the raised beds. Of course, as we were moving them I realized that they are not going to work as I’d hoped… blah. In the process of moving the lumber, we needed to move the toppled wheelbarrow which was full of gravel and had a flat tire. Tire pumped, barrow moved, we shoveled thorough the gravel because we found some earthworms to rehome in our compost bin. We also found a couple black widow spiders and decided yardwork was done!

I ran out to get some groceries and passed by wild birdseed in the dog food aisle, which I went ahead and snapped up. Speaking of groceries, do you realize just how much you touch at the grocery store? With all that’s going on, I’ve been hypersensitive about just where my hands are touching… along with everyone’s else’s. Then you leave the store and touch your keys, door handle, steering wheel, etc.

If only we could spread love like we do germs, huh?

Once home I found the giant bird feeder and filled it, fulling expecting a rush of birds to overtake me – there are birds everywhere in our back yard! Cardinals, doves, even a little blue jay family that moved into a birdhouse attached to the fence. We set the feeder on the back porch and Isaiah kept lookout for any birds, and not a single one visited for a snack. Maybe today we’ll see them.

We finished the afternoon working on the fort. This fort. When we go, we go big! This thing is so massive. When the boys all grow up I may insulate it, install electricity and call it my studio! We worked on hanging siding on the back wall siding and got about 3 feet up before calling it. From the inside the siding is only about three feet high, from the outside it’s about ten feet! Jace has been our ladder man, with Sam supporting from the second ladder, or handing the tools over from the inside. Isaiah is our go-er, we send him to go get water, or go get an extension cord, or go get whatever. It’s quite a production.

At the end of the day, I crawled into bed even before dinner was all eaten, sore and exhausted, but happy. These days are so full, and that is so, so good.