Sunday, October 25, 2009


Satisfying Simple Pleasures

Its satisfying to see him coming home
with a big truck filled with firewood
to keep our house warm all winter.

Its satisfying to clean up the area
where we will stack the wood in neat rows.

There's nothing quite so satisfying to me,
as to see things buttoned-up and ready for winter.

... and to know that at least this part of the world is well.

Its a huge load, and we spent a whole day unloading,
and stacking it...
sharing it with neighbors and family.
We go together on the cost...
we all benefit.
That's how community should be,
don't you think?

Good thing we have big, strong, handsome sons!
Ah... the men in my life!
What a lucky lady I am!


I must tell you a story about my son...

If he reads this, he will likely be embarrassed,
but oh well... he's got a proud Mom!
What can I say (:

In the early years of his life, we lived on a ranch.
He and his 2 brothers had every day chores to do,
one of them being to bring wood from the woodpile
down to the back porch, so we could more easily stoke our woodstove.
Mind you, all my sons are special, and each has special traits
... and I'm in no way partial!
But this son's personal trait fits well with this post.

One day, when he was about 5 years old
Dad had given the boys their marching orders...
to bring 1/2 cord of wood down to the back porch and pile it there,
so that later he could make a neat stack for the week.

Somehow the two older brothers got distracted...
it was much more fun to have snowball fights
or roll balls for a big snowman.
I looked out the window to see how the boys were
coming along with the job...
and there he was... the lone worker.
It was only him...
trudging back and forth between the woodpile and back porch
trip after trip, until the whole pile was where it was supposed to be!
...at 5 years old! (:

He was always this way...
Never afraid of a little hard work and sweat.
He's still that way.
He'll roll up his sleeves and dig in every time.
It does a parent's heart good.

That day the other two...
...well, suffice it to say they got to do the whole
pile by themselves for the next two weeks.
Mind you though... this was one lesson learned.
The other two are good workers too.
That's the way our family does things.
Their Papa (my Dad), is famous for a saying
that each of the grandkids can recite from memory...

"If a job is once begun,
be it great or be is small...
do it right, or not at all"
(:


And so it is today... job done right~


...as the regal old cat looks on!
He's 15 years old, and counting.


and two for the road...
Fall garden

And the ol fence latch...
which is so quaint that we don't have the heart to replace it.


2 comments:

  1. what a sweet post. thank you for sharing.

    give that old cat a scritch on his chin for me.

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  2. Vicki...this post brings back memories for me from our days on our small acres...getting our firewood together and all that it entailed. Your Son reminds me of our Son...always the one to help out...even as far as aking for what needed to be done...Sounds like we have Sons that we can always rely on to get a job done...Dzintra♥x

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