We started earlier the next day, wanting to beat the heat as much as we could. I set out with my axe and chainsaw, feeling very rugged and manly, with the girls leading me to dead trees. I'd cut them down and chop them up, all while the girls continued searching for dry sticks. We were filthy with sweat and dirt by the time morning turned to noon, with piles of wood scattered through the forest. We stopped for the day and returned home.
"Ok, girls," I said, standing in the kitchen and making them sandwiches, "this week, I want you to go back and collect the wood I just cut up. Stack it up in the shed, but leave enough room for tools. Any extra wood we have can be stacked up on the porch."
Momo, of course, whined at the prospect of more work, but Sonja was as happy as could be.
September turned to October, and my home became an island in a sea of autumn leaves. It was beautiful beyond words, being able to wake up and come home while gazing upon waves of yellow, orange, and red. With the start of fall, the weather started getting colder, though just at night. The girls insisted on remaining naked, simply waiting for the late morning before finally rising out of bed and going outside. I started testing out the woodstove, making fires in the morning and evening to keep away the chill. It took only a few pieces to heat the whole house, a very good sign that our wood supply would last the winter.
One afternoon, I found myself just standing on the front porch, looking out on the leaves covering my yard. It was actually something I was not used to, both my childhood home and my rental house not surrounded by trees, at least anything but pine, birch, and swamp maple. I hadn't really paid much attention to the lawn since coming here, too focused on other things or simply not seeing the point in getting nitpicky, though something was nagging at me to rake the leaves.
Maybe in the spring, I could start a vegetable garden to help cushion our food expenses, as well as teach the girls responsibility. I could gather up all the leaves into a compost pile. I had promised myself I would get as much done as possible once the weather cooled down, so I might as well keep myself busy.
The weekend arrived, and I bought three cheap rakes. The girls and I were once again standing in front of the house, me facing them like a staff sergeant examining two new recruits. As usual, they were naked, Sonja smiling with her never-ending reservoir of canine joy, and Momo scowling from the knowledge that she was going to have to exert effort.
"Girls, today, we are going to rake the yard. We are going to gather all of the leaves into one big pile. This is going to be an ongoing project, we'll do it every weekend until the leaves stop falling."
"Masteeeeer, Momo doesn't want to do thaaaaaat."
When she was still a cat, she would whine with that same tone whenever she was hungry.
"Momo, this is important. We're going to grow plants in the summer and these leaves will help. Besides, when we're done today, I'll show you something really fun to do. It won't take long. Now, when you're raking, I want the two of you to avoid any spots with animal crap. Your noses are way better than mine, so just watch out and ignore any leaves that are dirty."
I handed them the rakes and we started working, scattering around the house to take care of different areas. Momo was silent as she raked, her feline laziness slowing all of her movements. Sonja, of course, was having the time of her life, even singing some kind of gibberish. The leaves had just started to fall, but there were so many trees around my house that I was almost wading through the downed foliage. Regardless, we got it done, grouping all the small piles together into one giant pile, about the size of the woodshed.