When Two People Share

Sore back, sore shoulders, beat up hands and soaring spiritI woke up to a beautiful day. Ignoring the dishes that needed to be done, the kitchen that needed cleaning, I got dressed and went out to mow the grass. No way I'm getting stuck in the kitchen as long as it is sunny and gorgeous out side. Paul, who only had on his agenda for the day to research some stocks and stuff, was next. I turned around to see him sitting on the steps, putting his boots on. I didn't mean for him to come out and work, but, in his own words:

"How could I be sitting in front of the computer on Mother's Day, while you mowed the yard? The neighbors would have thought me a real slouch".

Thats why I love him. He will not let me castrate him. NOT that that was ever my intention at any time, and not this day. Not Paul. He never complained, never whined or copped attitude, he just quietly got the weed whacker and proceeded to whack weeds. I just wanted to be outside. He just wanted to help so that the neighbors wouldn't think he was a loser. I didn't mean to do that to him, but I love that he cares.

He ended up working long after I called it quits. He discovered that I intended to move the three forsythia bushes and hydrangea when he caught me digging the holes for them. So he started digging up the bushes...large and well established bushes do not generally want to come out of the ground. By the time I had dug four good holes, I went to check his progress. He had a bit of the first bush dug around the edges, but nowhere lose enough to come out of the ground. I watched his labor for a few minutes, concluding that this could take a LONG time.

"Paul? Maybe you could use the truck to pull the bush out?".

Easy, and saved loads of time. The next thing we had to figure out was how to move this large bush, with a heavy root ball. We slid it on the tarp and dragged it to the front area, up the hill, through the woods. Together. Plop, into my hole it went. Perfect. Back for bush number two. While he was doing that, I attacked the issue of the hydrangea, which was very close to the garage. It was tricky, being so close, to get under the roots enough to pull it up, but I was successful, with a little help from Paul's muscles. Into the prepared hole that went, which turned out to be too deep, so I had to go to the dirt pile and haul a wheelbarrow full of dirt up the hill...puff, wheeze, groan...did it.

We got all three forsythias re-planted and I wanted to clean some of the small stuff from the woods around them. Some of the growth I could clip, some needed the chainsaw, which I will not use. Paul sharpened the chain, and went to work cutting down the small trees. Nothing big, just too big for clippers. I started the chipper and made mulch to put around the forsythias.

Meanwhile, I was washing linens and hanging them on the line. I can never let a sunny day go by if I am at home, without washing something and hanging it out. I washed our bedding, our curtains, and Sean's bedding.

Paul started schlepping dirt to fill in the area where the forsythias had been, a 'gully' sort of area which I wanted built up, to extend the yard. This is no easy task, backing up the truck to the pile and shoveling the dirt in, then backing up to the area, and shoveling out. He did this a few times, and I sheepishly approached him and said,

"This area needs most of that pile of dirt. It needs to be up another six inches from here to there."

He is always so willing, and I just hate asking for more. He agreed, however, and put in about two more hours moving dirt.

I made ice tea and visited with my daughters who had stopped by to pick up Beau and say happy mother's day and bring some wonderful gifts: awesome earings with little tiny 'forget-me-nots' in them, a beautiful rhododendron and some cool smelling soap. They shared their fudge with us and gave us 'thank you' T-shirts for keeping Beau...like that is a favor? I don't want him to stay anywhere else.

The areas we worked look awesome. As a team, Paul and I rock. We laughed and talked about ideas going forward. We made so much progress all because the sun was out, I wanted to mow, and Paul wouldn't let me labor without help. We actually DID the things we kept saying NEED to be done. We showered, I finally cleaned the kitchen and brought in the laundry. I rehung the curtains and made the beds. Tonight we would sleep in fresh sheets that smell like sunshine and happiness. My Paul, my love, is the best man I know. Being married to my best friend, a person I respect and admire makes my life's journey immensly rewarding and safe. I hope it is the same for him.

Paul, I love you.

Peace