Cleaning Up After the Storm

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Okay. I know what you're thinking. We're running a house of enslaved children. No, they really enjoy the work they do. Any parent knows when you get a determined child, then sometimes (only sometimes), it is better to allow them to explore where their interest is leading them. Dad is a little more lenient when it comes to allowing them to use really sharp tools. Actually, Dad gives them good training, and fortunately he does have good judgment as to what they can and cannot handle. Sometimes, mom does have to leave the room or go inside because I don’t want to watch.

Recently, a hard storm blew through our quiet little town. Our experiences are far from what the people in the Midwest are experiencing. My heart and prayers go out to them. I can’t imagine the devastation that has occurred as well as the daily battle of trying to salvage what little they can of their lives against continuing floods.

This second time around, we were not so lucky. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, but we had to cut a limb off of one of our trees that shades our home. My husband was going to climb a ladder and cut the limb, but we decided it would be better to call a professional in case it became an insurance issue. After all of the cutting was done, we were left with a large cleanup job. Once again, the LGS mission crew was ready to get to work.

At first, my husband was going to climb a ladder and cut the limb, but we decided it would be better to call a professional in case it became an insurance issue. Our house is surrounded by a few trees, which is great because it helps keep the house cool during the summer months and we don't have to use the air conditioner as much. We are currently in the hot, hot months here. It is not hot enough (for me - the children have been ready since winter) to go down to our creek where ICE COLD water flows, but it's getting there.

My husband is literally a “Jack of all Trades.” He has experience in landscaping, construction, is a fabulous cook (just to name a few skills) and confirms everyday that I married well. His experiences have also been useful for his contribution to homeschooling. I expect our children will be able to wield a really mean hammer and screw driver when they get older.

Tools in hand, everyone was ready to get to work.
The plan was to cut and stack the extra wood and to haul the leaved branches and other "stuff" down to our wood pile/dumpster drop site where three years of Christmas trees, excess grass blades, etc. have been placed. We are hoping to build the world's largest compost pile. The crew was happy to use the cutting tools. Believe me, they were well supervised and are actually very cautious with how they use the tools.

Safety is first, so all baby was able to do was look cute. Maybe, after he turns two, he will receive his first hand saw...just kidding. He was happy to help pick up branches and other wood pieces. The mission is complete and now we don't have to walk through branches, etc. when on that side of the house. Fortunately, the cut limb did not cause a loss in privacy and you cannot really tell that the tree received a trimming. Hopefully, this will be the last we see of any damaging storms in the future.