My Birthday Tradition

Over the past few years I have watched as my children have struggled a bit financially. They were doing well enough to cover the bills but often had to sacrifice in order to make those ends meet. But then came the holidays or birthdays and they had concerns of how to get something for family members and still not kill their finances.

Then, about a year ago I got this brilliant idea - at least I thought it was brilliant (it nearly blinded me.) I thought, what if we could celebrate my birthday in a way that wouldn't cost them any money. And what if that method still allowed them to give something? Finally, my brain being close to exhaustion, I concluded that I could host a work breakfast.

A work breakfast is where everyone shows up early in the morning before the heat of the day sets in and we work on a yard project of my choosing for a couple of hours and then we have a great breakfast. The spouses and the grand kids also come but they just enjoy the breakfast.

When the task and the breakfast are done then people can leave or just hang out - whatever they want to do is fine.

Last year was the first annual Dad's Work Birthday. Last year I ordered a few tons of gravel for the front and back yards and the kids helped me haul it and spread it as well as clearing an area in the side yard for a place to construct a jungle gym for the grand kids. Then we had a marshmallow fight with marshmallow guns that we built. There were marshmallows all over the yard and trees and everywhere. The breakfast was barely less exciting. It went so well that we opted to to try the experiment again this year.

This year was also a grand success and so I think that it has become a tradition. There was one hitch, however. My daughter Jennie somehow determined that her husband, Kyle, should be the personally involved party in the work project rather than she, herself. Hmmmm...

The project this year involved the removal of the terracing blocks which surrounded the lawn and trenching around the lawn so that a liner could be put in to contain the lawn. The blocks were moved to the west side of the yard so that they can be used in another project. Here are the pictures.


This is the before picture of the southeast corner of the yard featuring a garden hidden by much stone.











This is the southeast side of the yard before the inquisition began. Notice the stones bordering the lawn and the area beyond just begging for a project to be done there.










Check out this motley crew ready to do the work of two or even three good men. From left to right:
Ben (oldest son), Kyle (Jennie's husband), Quentin (youngest son), me and Paul (second son). Drew (third son) is absent because he lives in Montana. I guess that just living where the weather hovers below zero for weeks at a time is excuse enough for not being there. He has mostly likely not thawed out yet.





The work of prying up the stones and hauling them to the west begins.












Everyone does their part and the work progresses fast and smooth.












"Use your entrenching tool," he says.


















The blocks accumulate, somehow, right where we want them.












Digging those trenches isn't as much fun as it seemed at first but Ben and Kyle make the best of it.











Look! our own version of Stone Henge!


















The girls enjoy the morning weather without getting all sticky and dirty - Jessica with Hero in her lap and Jennie.












Enjoying the shade now that the work is all done.
























































And now time for the family photos.