Filed under: Cash for Grass | Tags: assembly, desks, floor, IKEA, leaves, sitting, upright, yard
The kids all wanted desks to use for doing homework so they don’t have to do homework on the floor. I don’t know where this comes from because when I was their age I had a desk, but I hated strenuous activities like sitting upright and always did my homework on the floor. Also there was usually too much stuff on my desk to use it for studying.
What does this have to do with the yard, you may ask. Well, we went to IKEA and bought desks. There was some assembly required. I made a deal. I would assemble the desks today, if the kids would go out and clean up all the leaves in the yard, now that the leaves are finally done falling. With all three kids working, I figured it to be a fifteen or twenty minute job. Not a bad deal.
I turns out that kids only like doing yardwork when they don’t have to. And if they don’t like it, it takes much longer. Calvin suffered in courageous silence, and finished his section first, in about an hour. Sabrina methodically worked her section, around the edges first, then spiraling towards the middle and finishing about a half hour after Calvin. Rose came in sobbing thirty minutes after that, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task before her. She had picked up three leaves so far.
After a brief conversation and a snack, I sent her back out. Another hour or so later, she finished (or close enough, I judged). The yard is free of leaves and looking pretty nice for being only 3/4 complete, and the kids have desks.
Filed under: Cash for Grass | Tags: cash, decorating, festive, grass, landscaping, lawn, leaves, lights, rock, seeds, vacation
This Christmas I chose landscaping over putting up holiday lighting. Our house does not look very festive, but I do have a big pile of rock. Maybe I can build a rockman with a top hat and carrot nose. And I have a mound of grass in my courtyard that is starting to turn brown. Could I put a manger next to it and call it hay?
Today is the first day of a two week (forced) vacation for employees of my company. At least I will have all the time I need to finish what can be done on my landscape, plant all my seeds, and attend to a number of other household projects. How exciting! I finished putting in the plants I have and spreading rock around the infamous strip between driveways, except for the plants I can’t get yet or am growing from seeds that I have not yet planted. I got started on the far end of the main area formerly known as lawn. Rose helped by climbing up and down the rock pile, and occasionally piling up leaves and jumping on them.
Driveway Strip Finished
Driveway Strip Side ViewMain Yard Far Side
Main Yard Far End
