"OLDER THAN SPRINGTIME"...INTERESTING DAY SURVIVED BY THIS REDNECK

Mission accomplished! All 15 trees planted...no problem.

When Paul and I got to the school two or thee families, and a couple of teachers, and the elementary school principal were already there. The Principal enlisted Paul to help her fetch a water hose, and load up some bags of mulch. I asked her what I should do, and she pointed to a little girl that was starting to dig a hole and said, "Go help her." So I did.

I walked over there and this little girl was doing her best to bust through the sod with her shovel, without much luck. So I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm Andy, Pauls' father." She smiled real sweet and said, "Nice to meet you sir, I'm Kim."

"I'm having trouble getting this started. I'm not as strong as I thought I'd be." She was really giving it the old college try, and so sweet. I just told her "Darlin', you're plenty strong, you just don't weigh enough to break through this old San Augustine grass, and hard clay (she couldn't have gone more than 85 pounds). Let me knock all the sod off, and then you'll be able to finish digging out the hole."

So me and Kim partnered up. It went pretty quick really. Thank God we've had alot of rain this year and so it wasn't too tough. When we got a hole dug, Paul would mulch around the tree, and pull the dirt back over.

Me and Kim talked about this and that, and after about our third hole we stopped, and I said to her "you seem awfully smart for elementary school (trying to give her a compliment, and figuring she was probably an older sister there helping out the family), where do you go to school?"

She giggled and said, "Oh, I go here...I'm in Elementary School...I teach 4th grade."

At this point I am feeling really ignorant, and really, really old. We both got a good laugh out of it though, and she didn't seem at all offended. Aaaaahhhhh to be young again!

15 trees all planted, mulched, watered in...about an hour total on one glorious Louisiana morning.

Eugene from The National Honor Society, and Starbase commander Spock didn't even show up...thank God. It probably would have taken us twice as long, and required at least one 911 call.