Leaves and labyrinths

It’s that time of year when the world’s best toys fall from the sky.

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Kiddo4 called me outside, and I came out to find what they both purported were the remains of Kiddo3.

This is the time of year when no actual raking gets done, but if I hand two boys a pair of rakes, I receive in return about an hour of silence. At least until one Kiddo whacks another and then everyone gets ordered back inside to gripe there where the neighbors won’t think I’m running a home for feral children.

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The trees are still loaded. They know eventually the boys will get bored with even token raking, and they’re holding out for that.

A couple of days ago, Kiddo4 had a friend over, and they asked for the rakes, which I promptly handed over. I figured they were going to make a huge pile of leaves with the intention of leaping into it and redistributing it across the lawn. Why? Well, subtle hints like this:

Kiddo4: “Mom! Can we have the rakes?”

Friend: “We want to make a HUGE leaf pile!”

Kiddo4: “And jump in it!”

But what they did instead was go under the pine trees and start raking in patterns. They raked up pathways and made walls, and an hour later, they brought me outside to see their Labyrinth.

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I tried to get still pictures, but it didn’t really work without Kiddo4’s explanation, so I’ll let him tell you about it in his own words:

0 Comments

  1. Pat

    Kiddo4 is adorable. And clever. Keep that to show a college recruiter or headhunter some day.

  2. Karen Williams

    Love his enthusiasm. Great video, really enjoyed it.

  3. Nancy Tubre

    Here in Louisiana we would say: “Sha little baby!” which is really “Mon Cher Petite bebe”, both meaning “awww what a sweet little one!”

  4. Jason Block

    Imagination…who knew? 🙂

  5. Tammy Theriault

    Hey! Congrats on your success with write club!!

    1. philangelus

      Thanks! WRiTE club was a lot of fun, and Muleshoe (Tex) totally owned it with that final submission. 🙂

  6. Rosemary Freeman

    Okay … comment on the post … those little boys are not only adorable, but they’re bringing back some of my best childhood memories … leaf houses! In leaf towns! And we had our share of problems since I was the oldest and was always the mayor until the good folk of Leaf Town rose up with the Leaf Town version of a pitchfork—a rake (of course.) A labyrinth is just genius.

    I want to congratulate you on WRiTE CLUB. I really enjoyed that last round … I hope this character finds her way into a novel or a short story. (My youngest daughter is studying to be an auto mechanic!)

    I am a fan, Jane! Well done.