We have 23 pine trees in our small backyard, which makes me feel like I live in the woods, even though we live in the suburbs of a city. Every year, our trees drop an enormous amount of pine needles. One year just two truck loads to the dump weighed 1,200 pounds, and more pine needles fell throughout the rest of the year, too. So a literal ton of pine needles is dropped into my yard each year. I could complain about it, I suppose, but I’ve always loved the sound of the wind through the trees in the middle of the night when I was nursing my babies, or when I couldn’t sleep. The sound was almost as nice as ocean waves lapping against the shore.
Well, it’s autumn again, and when I rake pine needles, the next day, everything is brown; no grass can be seen from the thickness of the pine needles underfoot. The pine needles cover even the bushes, like a blanket of tan snow. I see it as an opportunity to get exercise, and all the kids pitch in. I give one cent for each pine cone, one cent per stick, and one cent for each arm load of pine needles. My older two sons can’t stop until they’ve earned a dollar, and we laugh at Bryan, who likes to look like a walking haystack. Even toddlers can earn money, which they use to buy Christmas presents.
A few days ago I laughed as the pine needles fell from the sky so thickly that some of them landed in the yard waste bin. “That’s the way to do it!” I smiled to myself. Today the kids saw it rain pine needles, and because they get money for the pine needles, two of my boys yelled at the same time, “It’s raining money!”
That’s very cute! Great idea BTW!
After 10 years of constantly removing pine needles, you’d think I would be close to cussing, but I’m not. I just see it as part of the package of feeling like I’m in the woods. Plus, the kids are learning how to work hard, which is a good character lesson that will help them the rest of their lives.