I spent a good bit of time working outside this weekend. I had the thought that if someone would do the housework, I would be very happy to do the outside work. When I was a child I did the inside work and my brother did the outside. Then I liked that arrangement, but now I would not so much. I wonder, why the change? My husband came home Saturday after a long day and told me he was going to kill Tate, the rooster. I don't know why all of a sudden he felt that it had to be done, but I am glad that it is done. Tate had begun attacking you if you were unarmed, and the kids could be attacked even if armed. So the kids were no longer allowed in the field or to feed their goats and rabbits. He cornered Tate with a shovel and knocked him out until the deed could be done. I butchered him after supper and he is in the freezer now. My dad says he will be tough, but that is to be expected; he was a tough rooster! Yesterday we burned the garden to prepare it for planting next month. The way the weather has been I think we could plant now and still do ok, but I am not going to do that. The fire was big at first and #1 missed it. He was very put out that he missed it, but he got to play in it a bit later. I still have more to burn today; it didn't burn as well as I had hoped. I let the boys play in the fire because that is what boys do. My Last Child in the Woods book speaks often about the fears we have as adults that were not part of our childhood. My parents would have let me play in the fire- it was, after all, being monitored and controlled. So I let them play a bit, though I have to admit there was some fear on my part and once I told him to put something down that was probably safe for him to have. #2 went out in the field yesterday and started digging some more on the hole he started a month or more ago. He was happy to be allowed back into the field. I don't know why he likes to dig, but it does make him happy.