Saturday was a beautiful day…
…And the first rain free day at the ending of some particularly busy few months. My schedule has been packed with little down time factored in, and very little opportunity to fudge and rearrange all any schedule. During these past 6 months, we have been overly busy…and the calendar was cemented into place for about 8 months without any unexpected modifications…
Then, unplanned events, sickness, dentist, emergency trips… Well. We’ve all been there.
Of course, there are times I thrive on busy, pushing tasks as late as possible and then scrambling to play catch-up. But with Spring nearly mid-way through, there are just some things I must handle. Now. Before it gets too hot, and the grass gets too deep!
What are your spring time chores? Mine. Gutters. Mowing. Firing up the tractor and getting rid of a new crop of rocks and boulders that pooch out of the ground fresh every year. Getting rid of some moss. Building that new fence. Several gates to mend and replace. Finding the money and time to build a workshop/barn. Cleaning out the garage from a winter of ad hoc storage. Too late, I missed pruning the apple trees and now their leaves are opening….
But Saturday was a beautiful day, and it was a day for us to enjoy the outside for the first time in 6 months. So. Those several dead trees still standing… Chainsaw! That dead tree the storm toppled a few months ago? Chainsawed down to a manageable pile… Burn Pile, that is! Along with some stacked wood for a late night fire enjoying the warming weather.
And that’s what we did Saturday afternoon.
Growing up I always remember cleaning up yard debris, raking and burning leaves, and enjoying siting around the fire. Sometimes there were multiple piles of leaves as big as a car. Watch out for the bugs, snakes, and other creepy crawlers. We learned that when the fire was bright and hot, smothering it with another pile of leaves would create crazy smoke! Then, playing through the smoke and hoping not to come out on the others side choking and gasping for breath. Tears streaming…
When Hurricane Carla came through Texas in 1961, there were over 60 trees down on the 140 acres we lived on. The water brought all kinds of debris near the house, and the stacks of debris was a fabulous adventure! Great heaping piles of fire and fun!
Saturday, my bride started the pile of branches while I used my trusty personal size chainsaw. The pile grew. The tree disappeared. Then it was time for the magical lightening of the fire…. Snap. Crackle. Pop. That cedar tree began to burn, and it was a blast feeding the fire! Smoke billowing into the sky and the fire whipping up a blaze that would swirl smoke across the ground and into our faces. The heat of the fire was worse than those hot beaches that people seem to enjoy baking their skin on. The cool breeze at our back made the heat tolerable.
So much fun.
Then, sitting back and enjoying the fruit of our labors until finally the fire settled down into ashes and a few left over tough logs. The dogs enjoyed the special attention and are forever spoiled, though one has no fear of fire, and the other cannot abide the fire or the chainsaw noise.
What’s the attraction to spending a Saturday afternoon doing this hard work? The joy of enjoying the day and time with my bride. If I were to do it by myself, true, it would still be fun, but there is something special about working together. Enjoying our chair time…together. Basking in the knowledge that we enjoy being together and enjoying some down time to ourselves.
Now… When’s the next Saturday?