I grew up playing the game pick-up-stix. More often than not I was playing alone against myself and most often I lost. Don't ask ! It's an only child thing which when combined with a mother who was more honest than the Pope it was only natural that I would loose against myself.
Anyway . . . along with the game of Clue, my all time favorite game, and The Game of Life, My second most favorite game, pick-up-stix challenged me mentally to figure out which stick was the one that would come out most easily without messing up the entire pile. I laugh when I see the modern version of this game being sold in stores for ridiculous amounts of money. And people actually buy it !!!!
My adult version of pick-up-sticks is not one that I purchased anywhere, rather it is given to me by good old Mother Nature each and every day up here in Michigan. There is ALWAYS a "breeze" blowing across this property that in addition to keeping the temperatures cool it whips through the trees and blows down all sorts of branches and twigs. I expect it will probably bring down an entire tree one of these days, hopefully when I'm not here to experience it.
When The Man is feeling up to it and it is not too cool for him he will more than likely be found out on his ride on mower going all over the property. On any given day when the sun is shining and he is feeling energized I encourage him to get out of the house if he doesn't suggest it himself. Because he is limited in just what he can do mowing the lawn is a great way for him to pass the time in the fresh air.
On this piece of property there are about a dozen OLD apple trees, scattered here and there, no rhyme or reason. They are in dire need of pruning but no one has taken care of them in years. Just after we arrived in Michigan this spring I purchased a small chain saw with the intention of getting out there and cutting down all the dead branches but that has not yet happened. Between my shoulder and my back and my lack of nerve I have yet to turn on the chain saw. Maybe next spring.
Anyway . . . all these OLD trees have old branches that love to snap off when the "breeze" blows. (Sometimes I think the breeze is more like a typhoon. I am fully expecting to get killed or at least knocked unconscious some day while sitting under my favorite Maple tree. That tree has some REALLY big branches that look ready to drop so I avoid that space when its really windy. ). The smaller apple trees have so many small twigs and branches that fall off each day and these become a challenge to Lawn Mower Man. Apparently it is not good to ride over large sticks while on your lawn mower. Something about damaging the blades ? That makes total sense to me except the lawn mower is a big machine so I really doubt that anything smaller than a tree trunk will harm it but The Man is very meticulous in his mowing so all twigs and branches should be cleared out before he starts to mow. (The same goes for the driveway that cuts through the woods. He does NOT mow the driveway but heaven forbid there are twigs that will scratch the underside of his car when we travel in and out of the property. The first time he asked me to walk along side him on his mower to pick up sticks as we did our "sweep" of the property I thought he was kidding. He is dead serious ! It is something akin to detecting land mines in the jungles of Viet Nam.
And so today as The Man took a nap, (which he needs and does every day), I played pick-up-sticks. I am too old and creaky to bend over to pick up all the twigs and sticks so I have a little rake that I use to scoop them up. It's great fun trying to pick them on the first try and it entertains me for a while. I figure I am outside in the fresh air and sunshine and getting some exercise walking around the property so it can't be all bad. And as dumb as it sounds I am actually making a difference in the up keep of this place.
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