2021 Life Logs, Day 160: Yard Work
Date: Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 85, Low 61 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a busy day in the neighborhood. It was an early release day for all grade levels, so Ollie and Sam came home with me to cut grass for me, for Shirley next door, and Andrew next door to Shirley. Ollie had a friend over for the afternoon, so he did not join us. This was Sam’s first day back at school after being his with some sort of heavy duty cold. More than half his class has been out with this, and Sam was hit hard. Still, he wanted to come cut grass so he could make some money. I tried to make sure he drank plenty of water since it was super hot today. And we took a rest period mid-way through the jobs. Actually, the break was made necessary because we had to charge the lawn mower battery. Our leaf blower, weed eater, and lawn mower are all battery operated and super quiet. It is a bit of inconvenience that the lawn mower battery only lasts an hour, but today that break was needed. Sam and Ollie make a good team. One mows while one trims with the weed eater. Andrew, the new neighbor from New York, was actually in town today and got to see the results of the boys’ work. He sent a text tonight saying what a great job they did. I don’t have to oversee Sam at all. He is a really good worker and wants to do a good job. Ollie still needs a little direction on trimming—knowing what to cut and what to keep. But he is a fast learner. Next time, I won’t need to oversee the work.
It is truly satisfying to see the boys earning money for doing a good job and taking pride in their work. Andrew sent their pay to my bank account via Zelle. This launched a discussion of bank accounts, a savings account versus a checking account, and the various ways to transfer money from one account to another—Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, Google Pay, and on and on. And that conversation led to more discussion of credit versus debit cards. The conversation in the car when I was taking the boys home was so interesting that I forgot to stop at the bank to withdraw more cash. I was $5.00 short of being able to pay Ollie fully for his work. I said that I would pay him tomorrow ‘with interest’ and that started a whole new learning conversation. What is interest? What is a fair interest rate? The whole afternoon was a great learning opportunity for Sam and Ollie, not to mention that three homes have beautifully manicured lawns.
