With a little help from my friends

by Birch

Sometimes you just can't get it done all by yourself. On a recent Saturday, I put my weekend "To-Do List" aside and spent the day helping a friend start a new life in a new city. There was a rental truck to maneuver through urban streets and dock at the front door of an apartment building. We worked all afternoon unloading the truck with some impromptu help from a couple of college students who were moving out of the building. It was one of those city barters born out of expediency--heavy-lifting (there was a piano involved) in exchange for cargo space in our truck and a ride to their new digs nearby.

Belongings mingled on the busy sidewalk. We kept watch as we lifted. The elevator neared overload, but chugged upward every time without complaint. The rain held off until every last box was inside.

Little did I know that Fern and Blossom were back at home working to surprise me by dispatching a major item on my "To-Do" list. I had started a project the weekend before to set up a short run of stockade fencing to wall off a utility area. After the posts were set, the fence needed to be painted. I had finished one section with two coats of white and set it in place. It looked good, but there was more to do. While I was away, Fern and Blossom got to work on the second section which was propped up out of the rain. June reported that she painted some of the top of the fence that was out-of-reach, but that the girls mostly stretched on tippy-toes to do it themselves.


When I arrived home late that night, it was a happy sight when my headlights alighted on that freshly painted fence. Cross one off the list thanks to Fern and Blossom!