The Right Tools...

Today we headed out for a full day of yard work which was wonderful. Now, you may be thinking "where's the sarcasm warning?"... there isn't one. It was great! First, it was a refreshing change for me to get out there and actually work. It seems that it did take the full six weeks as I had been warned, to physically start feeling energetic again. Second, it didn't pour down rain. In fact it was kind of sunny for part of the day. Third, the reason for the yard work was in preparation for getting Eli's flowerbed in. It may be hard to tell from this photo of today's result but we made a ton of progress.

As you can probably tell from this shot, the rain this evening ultimately chased us inside but it held off for the majority of the time that we were out there. Some day I'll have to snap a photo from the lower left hand corner of this photo. There are lots of little flowers that are popping up along that hillside. It would appear that my great grandma had used the same area for a flower garden at some point and there are things that keep growing. I even uncovered what could easily be an old gravel foot path. I'm really excited to see how the tiny flowers do now that we have tons of the blackberry bushes off of them and we'll consider them a bonus. It was probably a pretty funny sight, Jim and me yanking at bushes and trees while tip-toeing around tiny violets, lambs ears, trillium's and others that are currently nameless to us. To add a bit more "proof" that there really was a ton of stuff removed from the area in the photo...

... that's Jim contemplating the plan of attack for the start of today's burn pile (and see! It was sunny!)

Now, if you have ever doubted my "redneckedness"... I will go ahead and tell you that I like to control a burn pile more than just about anyone you may ever meet. In our family it isn't a burn pile without a leaf blower to make it burn faster and hotter, a pitch fork to pile everything back on quickly, a chain saw to keep the pile shaped just right for maximum burning efficiency, a few secret ingredients and the trusty garden hose for "just in case". We're crazy, not stupid! Two safely napping kiddos was the icing on the proverbial cake today. I'm a fan of "manning" the leaf blower and shaping the pile while Jim continues to use the chain saw to add more to the pile. He finally asked me why it is that I never use the chainsaw. You would think, being the daughter of a former logger and now living on a timber farm that the chainsaw would be one of my most important tools... it is, as long as someone else is running it! Jim asked if I was afraid of it - not the case, it's just too loud, that's all.

Anyway, the point of all this slightly mindless drivel is that it is much easier to accomplish the task at hand with the right tools. Many days I have wandered outside to attempt just parts of this same project... with hand clippers, shorts and flip flops, certainly not the right tools and of course I wasn't successful. Today, the two of us (even with one set of eyes on the kids at all times) with the right tools, were able to handle so much more. I truly believe that the only reason that I have been able to handle/deal/heal through losing Eli is that I have the right tools. I have a great support system of friends and family and most importantly, I have an intact belief system. A system that was rather viciously and ignorantly attacked just a year ago. However, that attack only made my beliefs stronger, sorry devil, nice try though. It's certainly nice to know where those tools can be found and that He is with me no matter what!