Taking the bad with the good

I reek of smoke...from my head to my toes...my feet are throbbing, I have blisters on both hands, and when I get up from the chair, I am walking like I am 100 years old! I feel like I was run over by a bus...twice! What, you may ask, happened to me??? Luis and I worked in our yard all day! We have a very large yard (about 3 acres), with many trees...many deciduous trees...oaks, gum tree maples, and pecans...so in addition to the leaves, we have thousands of little acorns, and hundreds of gum tree seed pods everywhere. Not to mention a bunch of pine straw from the many southern pines in our yard, and that means pine cones, too. Luis and I were considering just lighting a match at one corner of the property, and letting it all burn, but we were afraid our home might go up in flames as well. So, he armed himself with the industrial blower, and I grabbed the rake, and we blew, and raked, and burned leaves and debris from 10:00am until dark, stopping only for a quick lunch break and an occasional glass of water. Most people would have just cut all the trees long ago (like after raking LAST year) but not us! Those trees, bare as they may be right now, are the most beautiful shade trees in the summer! It seems that the entire squirrel population of South Carolina lives in our trees, and feast on our acorns and pine cones. Our southern pines are in a row, spread out just perfectly for Coach Luis's soccer drills for the boys to weave in and out while dribbling the ball. So, we'll keep raking, and blowing and burning each year, keeping our minds dreaming of the breezy summers sipping sweet tea under the shade of our gorgeous trees. Here's a little glimpse of what keeps us raking...