long-handled shovel. Grace dropped the heavy post-hole digger and ran back.
“Dad! Let me use that one! It digs really well!”
“Seems like it digs quick doesn’t it?” Zack smiled, “Dig this hole I started here.”
“What can I do?” Noah asked, hopping on his toes.
“We’ll need this second post in the ground and then we can put wire between the posts. You can help with that. Wait here, I’ll get my book to show you.” Zack walked to the shed and back. He flipped the book until a page of the trellis system he planned showed up. “Here kids, see this picture? This is what I’m building.”
“That looks nice. What plants are in the picture?”
“Grapes.”
“Like at the store? Big bunches of grapes I can take to school for lunch?”
“No. Grapes with seeds that we crush into juice.”
“Grape juice? I like grape juice.”
“Stand back and I’ll finish putting this second post in the ground.” Zack set his book on the edge of the pail. “I think we have enough room I can put another post up there. Do you kids want to take turns digging with this shovel where that stake is?”
“Yes!” Both children agreed and ran to the shovel jostling each other.
Zack dug again into the soil. The children didn’t last long with the other shovel and ran around chasing each other. Zack had the second post in the ground and then the third. He called the children to help with the lowest trellis wire. “Ok kids; hold this wire here while I hammer in these fence staples. Yes, hold the wires like that. Perfect.” Zack left an extra tail on the wire so he could grip it later in the spring after the posts settled tighter in the ground. Behind him Zack heard, “Sorry Dad!”
Zack turned and saw Grace leaning over a puddle in the lawn watching his book sink below the surface as it soaked up the water. Zack stepped over to the puddle and dragged the book out. Thoroughly soaked, he held it up to let it drain, and then draped it over the wire.
“Sorry Dad!” Grace looked scared.
“It’s fine Grace. I shouldn’t have left it there. I know you didn’t intend for that to happen.”
Grace shook her head.
“Here, why don’t you walk back with me to the shed and I’ll show you how we help it dry out? Each of you grab a shovel and I’ll get the rest of the tools with the bucket.” In the shed Zack fanned the book open with as many things as he could find. “I think we’ll save it, what do you kids think?”
“That will work Dad,” Noah said.
“Sorry Dad, it won’t look nice even after drying, will it?”
“No, but it’s a book I have for the information. And we’ll keep that.”
“Kids, do you want hot chocolate?” Lydia called out the back door.
“Bye, Dad!” The children ran back to the house. Zack knew the scattered scene of hats and boots he would find when he returned to the house. Zack put his tools away and before he could get out of the shed Lydia was at the back door holding a wad of paper towels that could sop up a giant’s soup from his bowl before he could eat it.
“You need to get back in the house and watch these kids.”
“What happened?”
“Your daughter spilled her drink all over the kitchen counter.”
Zack closed the shed door and came in the house. He heard Lydia spank Grace who was already crying and red-faced from Lydia screaming at her and told her to go to her room.
“You need to talk to Grace,” she said to Zack, smearing the table with the wad of paper towels. Her eyes angry as she scrubbed at the table as if she could rub a hole through it. As if it needed to have a hole bored through it.
Zack considered suggesting using fewer paper towels but he held his thoughts. He hung up the kids’, his, and Lydia’s coats on the rack and squared up the muddy wet boots on the mat. He saw how the yard mud had started drying into a film all around his best dress-shoes he wore to client meetings. Something to clean later. He went into Grace’s room and helped
“Dad! Let me use that one! It digs really well!”
“Seems like it digs quick doesn’t it?” Zack smiled, “Dig this hole I started here.”
“What can I do?” Noah asked, hopping on his toes.
“We’ll need this second post in the ground and then we can put wire between the posts. You can help with that. Wait here, I’ll get my book to show you.” Zack walked to the shed and back. He flipped the book until a page of the trellis system he planned showed up. “Here kids, see this picture? This is what I’m building.”
“That looks nice. What plants are in the picture?”
“Grapes.”
“Like at the store? Big bunches of grapes I can take to school for lunch?”
“No. Grapes with seeds that we crush into juice.”
“Grape juice? I like grape juice.”
“Stand back and I’ll finish putting this second post in the ground.” Zack set his book on the edge of the pail. “I think we have enough room I can put another post up there. Do you kids want to take turns digging with this shovel where that stake is?”
“Yes!” Both children agreed and ran to the shovel jostling each other.
Zack dug again into the soil. The children didn’t last long with the other shovel and ran around chasing each other. Zack had the second post in the ground and then the third. He called the children to help with the lowest trellis wire. “Ok kids; hold this wire here while I hammer in these fence staples. Yes, hold the wires like that. Perfect.” Zack left an extra tail on the wire so he could grip it later in the spring after the posts settled tighter in the ground. Behind him Zack heard, “Sorry Dad!”
Zack turned and saw Grace leaning over a puddle in the lawn watching his book sink below the surface as it soaked up the water. Zack stepped over to the puddle and dragged the book out. Thoroughly soaked, he held it up to let it drain, and then draped it over the wire.
“Sorry Dad!” Grace looked scared.
“It’s fine Grace. I shouldn’t have left it there. I know you didn’t intend for that to happen.”
Grace shook her head.
“Here, why don’t you walk back with me to the shed and I’ll show you how we help it dry out? Each of you grab a shovel and I’ll get the rest of the tools with the bucket.” In the shed Zack fanned the book open with as many things as he could find. “I think we’ll save it, what do you kids think?”
“That will work Dad,” Noah said.
“Sorry Dad, it won’t look nice even after drying, will it?”
“No, but it’s a book I have for the information. And we’ll keep that.”
“Kids, do you want hot chocolate?” Lydia called out the back door.
“Bye, Dad!” The children ran back to the house. Zack knew the scattered scene of hats and boots he would find when he returned to the house. Zack put his tools away and before he could get out of the shed Lydia was at the back door holding a wad of paper towels that could sop up a giant’s soup from his bowl before he could eat it.
“You need to get back in the house and watch these kids.”
“What happened?”
“Your daughter spilled her drink all over the kitchen counter.”
Zack closed the shed door and came in the house. He heard Lydia spank Grace who was already crying and red-faced from Lydia screaming at her and told her to go to her room.
“You need to talk to Grace,” she said to Zack, smearing the table with the wad of paper towels. Her eyes angry as she scrubbed at the table as if she could rub a hole through it. As if it needed to have a hole bored through it.
Zack considered suggesting using fewer paper towels but he held his thoughts. He hung up the kids’, his, and Lydia’s coats on the rack and squared up the muddy wet boots on the mat. He saw how the yard mud had started drying into a film all around his best dress-shoes he wore to client meetings. Something to clean later. He went into Grace’s room and helped
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