Monday, May 27, 2013

Yesterday I was inspired to invite a pair of great 10 year-olds, Keith and Jacob, to work and play with me today.  Incredibly, they both accepted so I agreed to pick them up at 7 AM.  They were both standing outside of their houses with no one else up, excited to get going.  The first thing I had planned for us was to fill a bunch of sand bags with the sand that had accumulated in my office parking lot over the winter.  It was finally dry and has had sun on it for 3, count them, 3 days.  I have collected 14 or 15 bags and with scoop shovels at the ready, we drove to the lot and began to fill them.  They weren’t too practiced at the art of using a flat-nose shovel, but after a few minutes they began to get the hang of it and soon were filling the sacks faster than I could tie them off.  8 of the sacks held about 100lbs,  5 about 60 lbs, and the rest about 40lbs.  I quickly became aware that I can no longer comfortably pick a 100lb. sack off of the ground and put it in the back of a pickup.  With their help, we did get the truck loaded with about 1200lbs of sand and while I had intended to go into town to buy some polyethylene hose and fittings, we  instead  went back home to unload the cargo.  We stacked it on a pallet and then took off for Home Depot.  The boys were keeping track of the time I guess, because by the time we had made the purchases, they informed me we had been there an hour which is really not that bad for Home Depot.  On the way home we had to make a detour to McDonalds to see if the chocolate shake I had the other day in Anchorage was an anomaly or if all the McDonalds shakes had suddenly become delicious.  It was an anomaly.  And I worried about the boys because they both ordered vanilla.  Back home again, we did the plumbing on the garden water system and they got to dig a trench across the road with a pick for the pipe, and finally we headed up Baldy.  The first 10 minutes is always the steepest and I am silently reminding myself that after the burn, it all gets much easier.  I didn’t count on the fact that, while I hike with 18 year olds whose muscle:mass ratio is way better than mine, these boys only weigh about 15 lbs. and they just levitate up the mountain.  My tried and true method for insuring that I  don’t run out of wind or strength is to count paces.  I usually climb steadily for 40 or 60 or 80 paces and then rest for 20 beats and then do it again.  You never need more than 20 beats of rest, but sometimes you need it more often.  Everytime I crested a rise, there they were sitting on the next one waiting for me.  We finally made the summit, took a picture, and then ran down.  Round trip time-53:05.  Not too bad figuring I was walking all the time and they were waiting about half the time.  Because they didn’t look too tired, I invited them to help spread a couple of inches of compost on 6 garden rows and because it involved the loader, they were eager to help.  We got the compost on and then Beverly fed us lunch.  We finished up burying soaker hoses in each row and giving each boy a loader-operator lesson, and then it was 4PM and time to go to Carolyn’s for a Memorial Day picnic and to celebrate Cayden’s birthday.  At the end of the day, I am left to examine reality:  1. I am not 10 any more.  2.  I hurt more than I used to when I overwork.  3.  Despite the fact that my weight is in control, I could be more comfortable being a bit lighter.  4. Working is more fun if you are giggling all day.