Slave Labor, or, the Truth About Why We Invited My Parents

After plying my parents with castles to lull them into a false sense of vacation, we cleverly arranged for our firewood to be delivered during their stay.

And we brilliantly decided it was time to dismantle the non-shed shed in the yard... which involved removing all the yard waste that has been moldering there for oh, about 5 years. Why yes, that is about when we moved in, for those keeping score at home.

Everyone had a job to do, filling bags

or mulching branches.

The boys got in on the action, too, and told me repeatedly how hard they were working, lest I should think otherwise.

This picture was taken after I quit... right after we found a baby mouse hiding in the compost pile. Now we know where they live when they aren't trying to come live in our house!

Today Frédéric finished chopping down all of those bright green bushy leaves from the hedge that was growing behind the non-shed shed.