Piney Pick Up Sticks

I haven’t been updating daily on my 29 Day Giving Challenge, mainly because most of them are pretty self explanatory from the little list on the right. It has been a fun challenge, though, and I’m happy to report that I haven’t, as yet, missed a day.

I was all set to yakkity yak about my gift from Day 21 when I opened  Jennie's Blog and I read about her Great Mulching Adventure while Super Sam was out of town. In case you didn’t read it, Jennie ordered and spread a truck load of mulch with one hand… with the other hand simultaneously feeding, bathing, diapering, deboogering, schooling, and snuggling three small children.

OK, I added most of that, but it was still a pretty impressive undertaking in my book… so I hesitate to cackle about my own proud accomplishment.

Because I picked up sticks and pinecones. 

I could say in my defense that I don’t usually do yard maintenance… if that statement in and of itself didn’t need defending as well. In our division of labor, lawn maintenance falls mostly to the husband.

Because, welll...

I am, however, trusted to help with the game of pick up sticks. This is not such a difficult task in the front lawn, but as I’ve mentioned, our back yard is mostly a piney Georgia stick forest which rains down sticks, pinecones, and other debris in a never ending backyard blitzkrieg.

I hate it.

That’s why I procreated slave labor. That system worked for me until The Practical One went to college, leaving only one daughter at home to help.  And since that daughter has been a whirling dervish of over scheduled senioritis lately, the piney stick forest has kind of… well…gotten out of control.

And so for the entire household, and for our back door neighbors, I did back yard patrol for my gift of the day. This was actually a pretty big task since the up and down motion wreaks havoc on my lower back. So I sandwiched it between other chores every ten minutes on the hour until the job was done.

 I picked up every piece of pine menace no matter how small.

And then I emailed this picture to the husband…

Subject: My gift of the day

And I waited for his response.

And I waited.

Finally, I got an email back.

And it said…

“Please tell me that there is not a gift box  full of pinecones sitting on my bed.”

Such a smarty pants I married.