Can't say I ever thought I'd be doing this....

Around here, it has been my spring time job to pick rocks off the lawn.
SO FUN, I tell you.
Those of you with lovely concrete driveways may not fully appreciate what it is like picking gravel off the lawn when there is still a bite in the wind, the snow has only just melted and the ground is still cold; with stiff, almost-blue fingers filling a bucket one-by-one-by-one.... it's really quite the job.

I have shoveled rock-filled snow off before it has melted on the lawn.
I have raked rocks into a pile to make them more scoop-able.
I have scraped the ground with a shovel and tossed them back from whence they came.
And yes, I have gotten down with soggy-knee pants and picked them up, one by one.

But THIS YEAR WAS DIFFERENT.

Following a suggestion from a neighbor that I received several years ago, I vacuumed the lawn.
If you don't believe me, here are some pics Little M took of the moment.....

I learned a few lessons as I did this....
1. Never vacuum up too many rocks at once. Haste makes waste, and in this case, it also creates a clog in the hose ;).

2. Extension cords can only stretch so far. No further. It's just a basic fact of life.

3. You can also suck up quite a bit of that yucky dust grass stuff that is left behind.

In spite of a few stops along the way (plus runny noses, plus moving baby OUT of the wind, plus fetching this that and the other thing), it took SIGNIFICANTLY less time to remove those pesky rocks off the lawn. I need to find another extension cord to finish the job, but hey, that's okay.

So perhaps I'm a slow learner and others have been doing this for years. I did contemplate wearing a paper bag over my head so that people wouldn't suspect it was me doing such an odd thing, but figured that would only draw more attention and rumor :).

And here's what the girls were busy doing all this time (thanks to Little M, who had great fun with the camera...)

Sweet K with her mitties off AGAIN.

 Diggy actually able to enjoy some outdoor fun.

An up-close shot of the stroller?? 

 Wee one, all snug as a bug

 Up close and personal!

 More Wee One

Hmmm? The neighbors truck? I think? 

 Can't forget the gravel...

 Signs of spring...

The Sky - because really, what fun is a photo shoot 

without a shot of the sky! 

 Our neighbors shed at an usual angle!

 And after all that fun, they had to pull out the sled (instead of the bikes, wagon, strollers, etc!) because we simply have not had enough winter yet. :)

All in a days work!!