Character-Building

Last Friday I got the boys up early to help me clean out and spread mulch in the area against the back of the house. (And by early I mean before 10 a.m.) There was a lot of bickering which I fully expected since, as Charlie would say, "those two get along like two sore-tailed cats".

Devin picks on Dracen for sport and Dracen thinks he is fully capable of doing anything a grown man can do...all 60-couple pounds of him. (When he was little, "I do it myself!" was his favorite phrase.) I still use it.

We were using the riding mower and trailer to haul the mulch into the fence and although Dracen does not have enough butt to keep it turned on, he still insists that he can drive it although it turns off on him fifteen times before he gets to his destination which thoroughly exhausts Devin. 

We took a lunch break in the early afternoon and everything seemed to be going better. For a few minutes. And then all hell broke loose. 

I was in the process of spreading mulch when I heard them going at it up at the mulch pile outside the fence. Devin was about to drive another load back into the fence, beating Dracen to the mower. So Dracen took the keys and claimed that he would not surrender them until Devin got off and turned the mower over to him. After threatening him within an inch of his life, he turned them over but decided he was done since we all treat him like he's useless (his words). Bring on the drama.

Devin and I were emptying the mulch out of the trailer when he realized he needed his gloves. Turns out, Dracen had the gloves and was sitting on the ground pouting outside the fence. The next thing I knew Dracen jumped on Devin so Devin slung him on the ground. And then he (Dracen) LOST IT. He came charging across the yard full speed ahead, determined to take Devin (twice his size) down to the ground. 

And when I went in to stop him, he commenced to pitch the biggest conniption fit I have ever been witness to. God doesn't give us more than we can handle? That was close. That was real close. Things got worse before they got better. I half expected someone in the neighborhood to call 911 on us. In the end (after they calmed down), I sent them both in the house because I just wanted to work in peace.

Their entire Saturday was spent doing various character-building chores (supervised by Charlie) around the yard while I cleaned the air conditioned house. Alone. They both had a complete change of attitude from the day before so we decided to take a little trip up the mountain on Sunday where, I am happy to report, nobody tried to throw anybody off the side...
 

All's well that ends well.