Easter Weekend, Part 1

I’m out of creative titles so this is just going to have to do.

Luke’s ball game Saturday morning was cancelled due to wet fields, so we got a “free” day at home. You know what that means (rubbing hands together)…

Time for some flower bed work. Jessica had a plant swap a couple weeks back and I hadn’t transplanted the plants yet. I needed some strong muscle to help lift the top layer of grass and weeds from the beds and help amend the soil. We bundled up and headed outside for the work. I didn’t take any pictures because I’m kind of ashamed of my flower beds and because I’m not sure they are really going to look any better once I get done tinkering with them. Oh, yeah, I was also working.

I figured out which beds I wanted overhauled and we set to work. It takes creative thinking to find work suitable for ages 5, 8, and 12, but we managed. 12 year olds are allowed to discover how hard the dirt actually is around the foundation of a house, working it up with a pitchfork. 8 year olds are allowed to stab open bags of composted manure and peat and build up a jump with the leftover weeds and sod. 5 year olds get a kick out of anything, including picking up and loading a wagon of said weeds and sod. Older men are get to flex their muscles removing said weeds and sod and lifting 40 pound bags of composted manure and peat. Older women get to boss everyone around and not make up their minds about which plants go where and decide more plants are needed, along with composted manure and peat.

We finished the two beds we started as far as clearing weeds, amending the soil and putting in what plants we had. I will have to go to the nursery to get more plants, but now the beds are ready.

Audrey made us lunch. Since our leftovers were scarce, she didn’t want to make hot dogs, and we’re kind of thin on other lunch options, she made us pb&j or variations of sandwiches. She took our orders: Ben- Nutella, Luke- honey, Me- pb&j, Bill- blech, but he went with pb&j as a good dad does. None of us like regular pb&j! I can stand it now, but it isn’t my favorite. She also made us a salad (only Ben objected- still hasn’t gotten that salad eater he requested for Christmas), and some mini-veggies. Very cute.

(cut out doggie shaped sandwich for Luke)

(I’m not exactly looking my finest here- no shower, windy day, etc.)

She was worn out, wondering aloud how I did it every day for 3 meals!!! Oh, sister! Then I asked her to clean up lunch.

While Bill and I finished the flower beds, Ben got to show me how he can ride his new motorcycle, the orange one. The 2-stroke one. The 65 cc one. (Why 65 cc? If 4-stroke is 50 cc, wouldn’t 2-stroke be half or double of that? Obviously, still lost.) We have about four empty lots next to us, which work well for riding for just a little bit. Ben got his riding gear on, and hopped on. His bike is still big on him and he can barely get it started, but really once he’s going, he rides very smoothly. He even can go over that little mound of dirt that we were adding to during the day.

I don’t know much, but I can tell you two things about this new bike: it is louder than the other one and it is faster.

Luke helped Bill finish screwing down the decking that we built last year. Really, this was bonus for me. It has been on my honey-do list for A YEAR, but one must be careful in managing the honey-do list. Bill would pre-drill holes, Luke would follow behind setting in the screws and Bill would finish by screwing them in. Luke chattered the entire time.

I’ll take a free day any Saturday. Maybe next one will mean I’ll get a raised garden bed for veggies! (hint, hint)