Pick up sticks

We sure do love our big tree in our backyard because of all the shade we get in the summer time. But the leaves that fall in the fall are hard to collect. Once we get them taken care of, there is a wind storm and we need to get out there and clean them up again. Okay, so Mike gets out there with the lawn mower and takes care of them and I watch from the deck. You'd think the clean up would stop there...WRONG! In the winter, and summer, when there is a big wind, the branches fall off and we have to get out there and clean them all up. It's been such nice weather lately that Ethan and I have been spending time in the back but there are branches, little wispy ones that hurt when you touch your face with them. I had had enough so yesterday I racked them all up into neat little piles and asked Mike if he'd take care of them this morning. Ethan was a great helper. After Mike and I would get so much in our garbage can, we'd grab Ethan and ask him to stomp on the branches in the garbage so we could fit more in there.

Here is Ethan helping Mike make more room in the garbage can.Ethan is a light weight and we really wanted to get rid of more branches than that so here's what happened next...

Thanks to Mike we only have one garbage bag full of branches left to throw away next week! Now if the backyard would only stay looking as good as it does now we'd all be happy!