Working in the meadow, and with my son Will.

Wild Flowers among the thistles.

Today we are experiencing excessive heat which comes with the month of August.  It becomes a daily chore to water the plants and garden due to the lack of rain, but that is life.  As with all things, there are times of plenty and then there are lean periods as well.  One goes with the other, and I guess that is why we appreciate the times when we have all that we need. 

Abby gathering wild flowers for "Mommy."

Today I went out into the meadow with the weed cutter.  I let the weeds grow longer than normal this year.  In June, Abby wanted to see the fireflies that come out at night; this was at the peak of their mating season.  It was also during this time that the weeds in the meadow needed spraying or trimming down.  I didn’t have the heart to limit Abby’s joy by reducing the number of lightning bugs, that is, by destroying the habitat that they lived in.  So today, the job of cutting the weeds is so much harder now that they are 3 to 6 feet in height.  The thistles, Golden Rod, and the ragweed are pollenating, so our family needs to have the weeds eliminated.

Anne kids me about how when I get a new yellow t-shirt, and then go out and cut thistles while wearing it, forgetting to change before starting the job.  By the time I come in, the shirt is virtually ruined and I am wondering why I didn’t change into one of my many old t-shirts in the first place.  Oh well, it is good to focus on one’s work, but I need also to concentrate on my attire as well.  Today though, before going out to the meadow, I proudly walked in front of Anne wearing my oldest t-shirt.  She looked up from the computer, smiled; almost imperceptibly she shook her head and then proceeded to go back to work. 

Softener salt access in closet floor.

When cutting the thistles I had to stop at times and pull some by hand.  The reason for this was because the wild flowers were in bloom in the midst of the thistles, and I did not want to damage them.  They make very nice table ornaments, and we as a family enjoy looking at them while we eat.  As I earlier stated, we must take the good with the bad, just like the wild flowers in the midst of thistles.  While pulling the thistles my mind went back to the parable of the tares that Jesus spoke about.  Matthew 13:24-30

4" fittings in utility room.

Yesterday Will and I tackled a job that I wanted to do for some time.  Every time that I needed to refill the salt tank for the softener, I had to carry a bag of salt down the steps to the second level, a “50” pound bag.  Two to five bags gets old mighty fast carrying that much weight.  So starting with today, this task was going to be much easier.  We cut a hole in the upstairs closet and inserted a plastic funnel in the new hole.  Will modified the funnel to fit a 4-inch PVC elbow.  Next we attached several 45-degree angle elbows just below the funnel.  The idea was to slow down the salt so there would be less of an impact when it dropped into the salt tank. Next we attached a 4-inch PVC pipe to the elbows and fitted it into the salt tank.  We used the material that we cut out for the initial hole in the floor as a cover over the funnel hole.  We then put in a wooden closet handle; it would be used to pull the cover free when the next time salt is needed.  The cover on the salt tank (soft plastic) was cut out using a left-handed sheet metal sheer.

Plastic funnel in the floor.

Softener salt tank cover with 4" salt
pipe cut into the corner.

My back is happy now that I don’t have to carry the salt bags down the steps.  If I am gone, it will make it easier for Anne to fill the softener tank as well.  All in all, it was so enjoyable working with my 9-year-old son.  I look forward to doing more projects with him in the future.