Nutty!

All of a sudden the temperatures have plummeted. After a swamp-like summer, the cool crisp air feels heaven sent. Last night we even lit our first fire in our fireplace. We are in that wonderful stage of the season where we can enjoy fires for ambiance and warmth yet aren't annoyed by the dirt and the constant hauling of wood into the house!

Despite heralding a new school year, I love autumn. Something about the changing leaves, apple pies and jumping into my pajamas right after dinner because it's already dark just makes me happy. The absence of humidity and relatively mild temperatures afford me few weather induced "bad leg days."

My only complaint about being an amputee in autumn lies with trying to navigate the nuts that, for whatever reason, are lying an inch deep on just about every surface outside. Acorns aren't much of an issue. They are typically fragile and are squished underneath my prosthetic as I walk. My neighbors are beginning to recognize the distinctive crunching sounds that follow me as I walk through the neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, our yard hosts several hickory trees. Hickory nuts are not only large (about the size of a golf ball) but also boast extremely hard shells. They are so strong that they have been known to remain intact when run over by our car. When I am unfortunate enough to step on a hickory nut with my prosthetic, I quickly look like a cartoon character slipping on a bag of marbles.

Necessity is, indeed, the mother of invention. I have convinced Robby and his friend Rowan that "harvesting" hickory nuts is a lot of fun. Each morning before school, and again in the afternoon, Robby fills buckets full of the hearty little hazards. I have to give myself a maternal pat on the back because the obstacle has been removed, and Robby was entertained at the same time!

When the nuts fully dry (in about a month) we will spend another few days whacking them with hammers. For a six year old boy, little is more fulfilling than being asked to hit something with a hammer! When the nuts are opened and the meats are removed, we'll bake our much coveted hickory nut cookies for Mr. Bill. Since we don't have plans to remove the trees, I'm pleased that I was able to devise a solution to my nut obstacles that benefits everybody!