Better Than Christmas

I always look forward to early Saturday mornings because my daughter Deb frequently calls then.  All the Kids live such busy lives that a chance to catch up is a gift.  She and I had spoken the day before, so it was a surprise when Deb called again yesterday.  "Do you have any plans for the day?"  "Just NASCAR. What's up?"  She said that she and Craig had thought they might come up.  Wow!  Really?!  I never look a gift horse in the mouth and didn't asked why.

They live so far away that I had time to rush around and spiff up the house to get ready, filled with anticipation, thankful that I had assumed that "job" and the house wasn't a disaster zone.  When they arrived, the first thing they brought in was some sort of universal gizzy into which all the rechargeable appliances could be plugged, like the LED lantern, the cellphone, and the new vacuum cleaner.  What a nifty little item that is.

The next thing they unloaded was two gorgeous peony plants, one in bud already.  It's no secret that I love peonies.  Not only that, they cleared the dirt and put the plants in the ground for me.  We discovered that the peonies from prior years were popping up.  The front garden is going to be a thing of beauty.  While the Kids finished that job, I went in to fix lunch.  Workers need to be fed!

After a brief rest, they went out again and started unloading tools.  "What are you up to now?"  They had decided to trim back the mountainous juniper bushes that had taken over the yard.  Ohmigosh, what a job.  I was useless because I'm allergic to juniper and break out in hives if I brush up against it.  It was no easy task.  Bessie Anne lay nearby and supervised.  They cut back the bushes at least four feet on all sides.

Husband and wife worked together like a well-oiled machine.  Had I been able, it would have taken me well over a week to do what they accomplished in a few hours.  In the photo above, they'd trimmed just the tip of the iceberg.  You should see it now.  This was the very last load of trimmings, after Deb had hauled wagon after filled wagon to the burn pile.  I know they slept well last night.

Of everything else, that which I appreciated most was the gift of their time...better than Christmas.