Lots of teens, lots of jobs

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"The Gray and White Rooster Vie for the Same Piece of Popcorn"

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Betty Picks Up a Piece of Popcorn to Try Hand Feeding the Rooster"

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Here is your popcorn.  Come and Get It."

Mary divided the kids into two groups: those who are going to pick cherries; those who are going to help grandmother weed.

Now to make our job list clear, they knew I was only going to direct them to do the weeding, not do it.

I had in mind 3 jobs: thin the apples on the apple trees, weed the steps that lead down to the road, carry the winter’s dead fall from the creek over to the burn pile, and weed whip the foot path by the creek.

Admittedly that is 4 jobs, but when I listed the jobs to them, they didn’t seem to recognize that three had turned into four.

I keep my gardening tools in a five-gallon white pail that I can carry with me.

People helping me to clean out my garage in the spring had disassembled that tool kit, so I re-created it: some gardening gloves, 3 screw drivers (which I use to drive into the ground near the root of weeds that evade me), a five-piece gardening set (only the trowel is that useful), and a pair of garden shears (which I can’t carry around with me if the 5 year old is in the vicinity).

We walked down to where there were many large branches – maybe 8 to 10 feet long, ones dragged out of the way by CPR trucks, I image, through the winter, as they passed by on their way to Annis Siding.

I think Mary put David, Naomi and Diego in my clean-up group, knowing that I have a high tolerance for people who don’t work that fast.

I watched as Diego learned to use the garden sweeper rake.

I use that word to describe the rake that has plastic tines, many of them and is forked in the shape of the way I might spread my hand way out.

Part of the time he raked, but only half as fast as I would have been moving.

At least that is how I would have been moving in the past.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Betty Practises Being Very Still"

Now I am standing still, keeping my balance with a cane and watching him. His strokes on the ground are long, slow, methodical.

At one point I see him swirling that rake as though it is a samurai sword.

Around and around it goes.

Another time I see him taking the top end of the rake and I see him pounding it into the ground.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
The Standoff: Welly is still, Betty is still.

I wonder if he is smashing a clump of dirt, or killing ants as they run out of a log he has disturbed.

I hear a squeal of glee from Naomi.

She has picked up a branch and underneath it is a snake.

She holds it in her hand and it stretches out, trying to find stable ground beneath its belly, but that is not to happen as she lets it twist in among her fingers and then around her arm.

Her family have had snakes as pets.

I hear her telling Diego and Betty snake facts.

Then Naomi wants to go up to the cherry trees and show the snake to her mother.

I, of course, want to have her put the snake down, let it slither into the forest and keep Naomi working, for she knows how to work; I know that my wiser self will let her run up there, and show the other crowd her find: a snake.

Five-year old blonde tousled-haired Betty has been with our group.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Bull's Eye" or "The Chicken Takes the Popcorn"

From the top of the path she has thrown pine cones down onto the heads of my workers.

They look up, interrupting their work, talking to her a bit about the fable of Chicken Little and “the sky is falling”.

Betty now runs up with Naomi (and the snake) and later they both return, the snake now in Tupperware container.

There has been a moment of horror with the cherry-picking crowd, when Betty got to carry the Tupperware.

She skipped and then ran with the snake, the Tupperware jiggling in her hand, the snake being tossed from side to side in it.

Xavier, one of the older teens from the pet-snake family, runs and rescues the snake from Betty.

He takes off the Tupperware lid.

The snake is hyper-ventilating.

Now the snake has been saved and is safely by the stream and will be gently place on the forest floor to slither away.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Betty Coaxes the Chicken to Turn Around,
Mostly By Shoving Popcorn in Its Face"

David has been using the weed whipper.

Duncan can’t do this job.

Well, he can, but he is allergic to grass and will have big welts all over him when he comes into the house, welts that will linger for a few days.

Diego may also have some welts, at least from his reaction when David comes close to him with the weed whipper and the small bits of grass and sticks that it chops up are thrown into Diego’s way.

I am sure part of his reaction is hurt, and part surprise.

I do remember that when I do the weed whipping myself, I am sure to wear pants that will cover my legs.

I can see that work isn’t being done.

Naomi and Diego are now in the stream, moving rocks back and forth, trying to move water into a new course.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Betty Pleads for the Rooster to Return"

I know that later, the water will go return to the path as it wishes, but for now, I let them take control of this force of nature.

When I am getting more play and less work from my group, I tell them, let’s go finish off with thinning the fruit on Glen’s three apple trees.

When we get there, I am overwhelmed with the height of the grasses, thimble berry bushes and clover.

Some of them are over six feet high.

I try to tramp the grasses down, but that is probably not the best idea, given that only one of my legs can really stamp on grasses this high.

I put down my cane so that I can at least make a path for them into the trees, and I try to note where I put it down, fearing I may not be able to find it later.

It is not losing the cane that I worry about.

It is having my kids know I have put it down at all.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
Betty's Popcorn Bucket Has Overturned

I give the teens the rule of thining.

At every six-inch interval on the branches, pick off all of the small apples, and leave only one large apple.

One of the kids gets my directions mixed up and only leaves one apple per branch.

That is when I tell them, “Times up. Let’s go back to the house.”

They walk ahead of me.

Of course, I can’t keep up.

They don’t even notice that I used to be in their group but have now fallen behind.

I make my way up the steps alone.

The ground is wet.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"The Bored White Chicken has Left"

I think of the times I have weeded those steps when the ground has been parched and it is hard to take the weeks out.

At each step I can see a clump of clover or a clump of grass that I can easily pull – with one hand.

I do so, arranging what soon becomes a big pile of weeds on the side of each step. I will be sure and pick those up later, I think.

I weed a couple of steps to perfection – just a beautiful space of fine gravel and sand when I finish. 

Safe for walking on, I think.

No roots to trip me now.

Photo Credit: Mary Johnson from Betty Feeds the Chickens Series
"Welly Considers One More Bite"

Mary has come to find me.

She has asked the kids, “Where’s grandma?”

They have no idea, telling their mothers, Grandmother was just a few steps behind us.

As I said, Mary comes to find me, and a good thing, for I couldn’t have stopped myself from weeding the whole set of stairs.

Sometimes work just feels like a privilege.

Arta