Testosterone and Gasoline

I'm trying to teach my boys the value of hard work and the satisfaction of physical labor. So today we mowed and raked the leaves in the front yard.

Yes, the small person in the picture above is my six year old using a potentially lethal power tool. I'm going for father of the year. And below is D, eleven, working hard without grumbling!

Here's a bit of trivia. When we moved into this house, the whole house was the color of the bricks in this picture. The shutters, the trim, the garage door, and even the shingles were this color orange. It was as if someone had spray painted the entire house one color. Hence the name, Orangehouse. We added the Texas Rangers star partly in celebration of Texas culture, and partly because yard-gnomes are prohibited by city ordinance.

And at the end of the mowing, we look out over our job well done, cheeks cold from the wind, and nostrils full of the smell of fresh-cut grass and lawn mower exhaust. Learning to take satisfaction in the little things in life is a learned skill.