Oh Happy Day!!

It was a sun... sun... SUN-SHINY DAY! Keegan and I got so much accomplished and it felt so good! I worked on the tractor, which had developed a severe oil leak last time I attempted bush-hogging. I got it to hold oil and managed to mow the whole back and side lots and get a lot of brush cleared for the fence where we had been cutting out bigger saplings the other day. I got the smaller tomatoes staked and tied up. There is still hope for tomatoes this year! Keegan mowed the entire immediate yard, which looks amazing! Then, he cleaned up around the yard for good measure. He is such an amazing kid. He is a typical teenager (14 yrs next month) a good deal of the time. I have to fuss over getting him to do the smallest things, like putting a dish in the sink. Then he surprises me and goes out and accomplishes real work! Hard work. And he does a better job than a lot of adults I know. When I am building something, he has started taking over and leaving me there with nothing to do but watch! He is quite the little carpenter. He can do anything short of working the skill saw, which I'm sure he could do if I would let him, but it isn't happening anytime soon. He begged me for years to let him use the push mower, and that is a new thing, only happening in the last month. I may be over-protective or paranoid, but I think that a motorized spinning blade that is going fast enough and is sharp enough to cut through free standing grass and demolish sticks is something that needs to be respected.
Only after a long talk about how dangerous it is and how to safely use it was he allowed to do it under supervision. Honestly, I was cringing, not only because of the damage he could do to himself, but because of the damage he could do to my plants and trees! He has done an amazing job! He is safe and attentive. He is turning into quite an amazing young man and I am so proud! The yard looks so wonderful! We actually accomplished something today! It was dark by the time we got done so no pictures. I was feeling so good I not only made dinner, but I made 2 dinners! I made tacos tonight (Brad's favorite), and meatloaf for tomorrow (Keegan's favorite) so I just have to heat it up and make a side or two. Both using our own farm-fresh veggies, herbs (tomatoes, peppers, onions, rosemary, oregano), eggs (for the meatloaf), and grass-fed beef that my father in-law raised. Even with a failing garden and very little money coming in, we manage to eat like kings. We are blessed. It is amazing what a sunny day spent getting my hands dirty, doing honest hard work, can do for the soul. It makes me want to sing!