When the Homily is about Immunology

This ain't no Bellevue SUV

My wife has, of late especially, given me grief for buying an SUV rather than a pickup. In my defense, I had no idea I'd have need to haul manure at the time I bought it - I just wanted/needed a 4x4 to pull my driftboat. And while I understand a pickup has the ability to haul a wider range of products, it doesn't mean my SUV has to suffer from the suburban "oh dear I got a spot of dirt on the upholstery" stereotype.

A wonderfully non-rainy day on Saturday gave us an opportunity to take care of some of good old fashioned outdoor work. First we uncovered the remaining pile of wood delivered a week or so ago and got it stacked in the woodshed - everyone helped and I'll admit to feeling a sense of security at actually seeing the woodshed being so much more full. And there was still yet more wood to retrieve.

A fair number of rounds from the tree felled the weekend before on the eastside of the property still needed to be collected, and so I locked the hubs and backed the Trooper over the water saturated ground to the scene. The kids, much interested in Daddy's truck being cruised around their bike riding trails came over to watch as I began throwing the logs inside.



As you can see, we filled it to capacity and even stacked some onto the roof. Wet bark, dirt, and moss absolutely filled my truck and the trip back to the woodshed had to include everyone of the kids crammed inside too - none of them being willing to miss the "off-road" adventure. Curiously, they all vanished when it came time to unload.

So with the truck backed up to the entrance of the woodshed, I turned on the radio to one of the local country stations and unloaded. Then, I decided to try and split a few of the rounds, and once I got started I couldn't stop. There is something profoundly satisfying about seeing a big section of tree trunk cleaved by the force of my actions. Thus, the wood slitting and stacking continued until eventually Sue came out and "forced" me to come in for some lunch.

After lunch I set to work clearing off the leaves and moss from the roof of the work shed - an arm breaking task. Sue and the kids began laying out the garden by collecting cardboard, chicken waste and leaves and spreading them over the targeted area.

By the time I had to quit and shower before the Reader's class, I was an astonishing mess. But one feels good about working so hard, utilizing and care taking two very fundamental and basic things: our bodies and our land. It is said that "Idle hands are the devil's play things" and I can see the truth in that little proverbial saying. Sloth does indeed lead - at least me - to engage certain gears that are better left unspun.

And so as bedtime approached, I was sore (I'm sure Sue was too) and the kids were wonderfully tuckered out. Not a single complaint about bed, and they were all fast asleep in record time. A very good day. Lord, please, send us more of such weather.