A while back we spent a Saturday shoveling gravel and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.
Caleb often says, "Mom, 'member when we did yodwuhk? Can we do that again sometime?" So today, they were pretty excited when Phil announced that they could help him remove a dead tree from our yard. It had been showing fewer and fewer signs of life of late and we had been considering removing it for awhile. We finally decided that today was the day (thanks to a friendly little note from our home owner's association).
It turned out to be quite an operation that turned into an arduous four-hour battle.
The tree finally lost the battle, but the victory was not without casualties on our part, including a broken shovel, a broken rake, a blistered and sunburned husband, and one pair of shoes that will forever remain buried underground in our front yard.
Our kids loved every minute of it and didn't lose interest until Phil was cleaning up. Even though he covered up the hole, there was apparently so much mud that it created a sinkhole. He later told me how when he stepped over the spot, he was immediately sucked down into the mire up to his knees. I thought it was extremely funny as he described himself trying to climb out of an oozing sinkhole in the front yard. He really didn't share my amusement and to my dismay he declined to recreate his predicament so that I could capture it on camera.
It was a beautiful day, the kind that would have been perfect for a hike or bike ride and Phil was disappointed that so much of it had been wasted on the tree. As for Grace and Caleb, I heard both of them say later, "That was the most fun I've ever had!"
Maybe next weekend for fun, Phil can show them how he cleans the kitchen with the leaf blower.
4 comments:
was it my favorite pair of purple sandals that vanished beneath the earth? i really would have liked to be there for the burial.
The thought of Phil sinking into a hole in your front yard is so funny!! A picture of that would have been priceless!!
Did you take it out with the minivan?! I did that too! Tell Phil, Grace, & Caleb I have 8 more bushes that need ripping out of my yard!
Last year we removed a dead tree as well to the thrill of our kids and the neighborhood children. Tyler was particularly excited when Scott pulled out the home depot rent-a-chain saw. With a big smile and pointing to Scott he announced to the neighbors, "That's my dad." Gotta love those moments. =)
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