A Happy Sunday

Finally completed some nagging gardening chores. Finished whittling down a stump from a tree that we had to remove when a freak windstorm twisted and broke off half of it. Eventhough the stump had been in the ground for over a year, some of the roots were still live. I wasn't able to remove all of it, instead I cut and chopped away as much of it as I could. I did manage to somehow break two of my hatchets. Both had cracked handles, so it was not too surprising. After hours of working on the stump I didn't want to spend even more time on in. If I plan on planting a tree there I'll have to dig up the roots again. Now we have a nice little flowerbed where the stump was.

Took the two younger boys to the pool for two hours. Karl went off with his friends while Tom and I played. We invented our own game with the volleyball we had with us and had a fun time. It was a mix between catch, soccer, keep away and water polo depending on whether we were in the pool or out on the grass. We played almost continuously for an hour. It really was a refreshing and fun way to spend a part of the afternoon. Tom is always so boisterous when I take Karl and him swimming.

Karl and I went to check on the local wine berries and the mulberry trees. While there, we picked a sandwich container's worth of mullberries. For both of us it was a relaxed way to spend time together and explore, talk, and pretty much enjoy each other's company. Karl is an amazing boy and I am very much proud of him.

Misce made Karl's birthday cake, and boy what a cake it was. It was a big carrot cake with cream cheese icing by Karl's request. I think in the end each slice ended up having a thousand calories. We all had a piece. Mary Anne, one of our friends, had a piece with us