Weird.
We managed to get most of the sticks and branches from recent adverse weather picked up. I left all the small ones to use for incentive chores for the kids this week. They are a wonderful response for "Mom, can I play the PS2?"…"Sure honey, just go pick up all the little sticks under the tree in the front/side/back yard."
Mind you I don't make them pick ALL of the sticks under ALL the trees at once, just under one tree at a time. It takes them 10 to 20 minutes to do it (it would take myself or Hubby 5 minutes at the very most) and then they are ready for a bit of time playing the game.
This works wonderfully for pine cones also.
Pine Cones. I have always found that term funny. We are forested predominately by firs in this corner of the world. Mostly Douglas fir, but a small smattering of spruce, cedar and larger smatterings of countless other members of the fir family. We would rival New England in the autumn if it were not for all those conifers out there.
OK, back to why I find the term pine cones funny. As I said, we are surrounded primarily by fir trees. The cones of the fir tree are smaller and more flimsy than most pine tree cones. They look more like a dog turd deposited in the grass than they do of a pine cone, but I digress. Why are they referred to as pine cones? When I call them fir cones to anyone, I get strange looks and people question if I mean pine cones.
Yea, whatever.
Now, back to taking advantage of the weather. Concrete surfaces have been swept and/or hosed down. The garden and containers are mostly ready for planting. I just need to work some compost into them and we will be set. Part of the yard has been raked, and the compost pile added to and turned. Looking at the compost pile I noted that it probably wouldn't hurt to get some more worms to add to it, but that can wait a while. I will likely get them around the time I get my yearly supply of praying mantis for the garden. I absolutely HATE earwigs, and of course they are proliferous in my neck of the woods. I think they are like Tribbles and are born pregnant. In that aspect they are the same, all they ever do is eat and procreate.
Dumb bugs.