Pick-Up Sticks

As a child, I loved the game Pick-Up Sticks. The game consisted of a can of brightly colored wooden sticks that you would shake and then dump out on a table. Sticks have to be removed from the pile without disturbing the remaining ones. The person who collects the most sticks wins. At the age of 8, I felt particularly skilled at this game and envisioned myself the envy of all others.


Now I find myself playing an entirely different kind of game called Pick-up Sticks that isn’t nearly as entertaining as it use to be. With all the wind that we have had this summer, Gene and I find ourselves regularly picking up sticks in the yard prior to mowing. Some, the small ones, are simply a nuisance. They are just big enough to make you hesitate before pretending you didn’t see them while passing over the mower. I just shrug when Gene comments that the mower blades don’t seem very sharp, and hope he doesn’t look over his shoulder while I’m mowing. Others are large enough to cause you to put the mower on idle while you climb off and move them. And then there are the big limbs that finally fall to the ground and require a two-man effort to haul to the burn pile.

I’m looking forward to cool days so that we can light the burn pile and roast some hot dogs!