Picking Up Walnuts

 Yesterday Hilary had a photo shoot and Blaine was working, so she dropped off the kids while she was busy with the senior and his family.  Landon sat outside with me for a while since I had been reading on my iPad on the deck when they arrived.  We caught up on the week's activities at school and the fate of his cross country team since the school would be closed the upcoming week.

When he went in the house to talk to Papaw, Tessa came out.  Of course, typical Tessa, she wanted something to do.  She fussed about needed some entertainment.  She finally walked through the yard and ended up at the gazebo.  Soon she was re-arranging the red sling chairs and black tables, then she pulled out the small Little Tykes wheelbarrow and was throwing walnuts into it.  After she meandered her way to the deck to show me the small pile of walnuts she had collected, and Landon had returned to continue his conversation, an idea occurred to me.

Walnuts on the ground are troublesome.  It's hard to walk without continually watching for them and side-stepping to be sure one doesn't turn an ankle or fall.  Mowing becomes interesting because they can't be avoided and the sound of the pinging as the grass is cut results in bent mower blades which need to be replaced.

Light bulb moment!

What if...Landon and Tessa collected walnuts and  I would pay them for each one they collected?  How much?  After carefully weighing the options, I offered a penny per walnut.  Now that isn't much, but I knew there were a ton of walnuts out there and paying PER walnut was better than paying per bag or bucket, especially since bags and buckets can contain different amounts when considered full, right?  And a penny can easily be negotiated upwards if the amount is affordable and worth the work.

Off they went---Landon and Tessa running to the barn (Tessa couldn't go in---forbidden by her mama) to retrieve two feed buckets.  Then they ran to the gazebo and the grassy area under the walnut tree close by.  I could hear them chattering about walnuts as the pings of the nuts hitting the plastic of the buckets interrupted their conversation  Soon they were on the deck, counting out the results of the first combing of the grass.  Landon - 52   Tessa - 25

 Back they went!  More scurrying around, checking all of the hidden areas where the walnuts might have rolled.  Could there be more around the fire ring?  What about in the perennials planted around the gazebo?  Again - to the deck for counting.  Totals now - Landon 81  Tessa - 33  (Tessa seemed to have slacked off!).

 Papaw appeared at the back door to check on what they are doing.  He suggested they move further west in the yard to check under yet another walnut tree---and he should know!  He is the one riding the lawn mower each week!  The fewer walnuts that ping against the blades, the better.  

This time they seemed to be working harder---and longer with the search and seizure.  When they finally returned to the deck for the count,  it was Landon 'winning' with 163 and Tessa coming in second with 62.

Big question...how much money should be paid?  And then ...what do they do with all of these walnuts?

Negotiations in progress.  Hmmm...a penny per walnut would be $1.63 for Landon with Tessa adding just 62 cents to her piggy bank.  That didn't seem like much.

I could see the wheels turning in Landon's head.  He offered this: "Well, a dollar a walnut would be too much...." to which Papaw replied, "Yes it would. But we can offer now 5 cents per walnut.  How about that?"  

Landon was calculating in his mind and realized that $8.15 for him wasn't too bad and with $3.10 Tessa could buy something for her American Girl dolls (not likely, but he made it sound good).  She agreed.

Then Papaw told them to follow him, and off they went to the pear trees.  By this time Owen had searched for the rest of the family and he joined them in walking down the lane to the fruit trees closer to the creek.  When they returned, they had half of a five-gallon bucket full of pears.  While Landon was calling Aunt Megan to tell her about them (since she likes to make pear butter and pear pie), Papaw had entered the house and returned to the deck with some cash.

Final payment?  $10 for Landon and a nice $5 bill for Tessa.   

Smiles!

Now I know that kids don't need to be paid for everything that they do, but this was a fun experience.  Tons of enthusiasm as they raced out to the barn for buckets.  Then excitement as they were counting out the walnuts on the deck and being sure their walnuts didn't roll into the pile of their sibling.   Shouts of anticipation as they scurried down the drive to pick pears and Owen's pleas of not forgetting him as he ran to catch up with them. 

The fate of the walnuts?  All of them were thrown over the banks of the creek winding along the edge of our property.  Who knows....in a few years there may be 225 sprouts of new walnut trees pushing through the weeds!

The kid were happy.  It was a fun activity.  They worked together.  Tessa wasn't mad that Landon received more money than she did.  They were both excited about having a $10 or a $5 bill.  

Gary was glad there are 225 fewer walnuts to possibly hit with the mower the next time he is traveling around the yard.

And I am pleased that they didn't complain or say that picking up walnuts was gross.  Because if they had, I was ready for a story for them.

Ever be forced to pick up rotten apples from under the apple tree in the yard by the chicken house so your dad could mow?

Let me tell you a story.......