S’mores plus bonfire equal fun
With the weather starting to clear up and my husband working on next fall’s firewood, I’m happy to report it is bonfire season. We have a work-related excuse for piling wood and lighting a fire, and a good reason to keep the ingredients for s’mores on hand.
The firepit in the backyard had been piled a bit higher than we like, and with the addition of the branches I pruned from the fruit trees, it really needed to be closely watched. Last weekend, when it was not too windy and somewhat rainy, seemed like the ideal time. With little effort, the pile was burning and the flames were leaping.
While my husband and I sat and tended the fire, the middle girl brought her horse out of the barn to give him some time on grass. All three kids took turns trying to climb onto his back without the benefit of a saddle or stirrup. Being quite the docile creature, he barely noticed them; his only response was the occasional swish of his tail and an even more infrequent look over his shoulder at them.
About an hour into the fire, when the s’mores had been cooked and eaten, it began to sprinkle. The flames were still too high to call it a night, but the horse was led back inside the barn. Because the wind had picked up a little, my husband asked the kids to close the top barn doors to prevent floating embers from meeting up with hay chaff and stockpiled firewood.
Our son went to close the doors, but our super-competitive girls raced toward him to do it first. When he got a hold of a door first, one girl jumped on him and knocked him down. A wrestling match ensued, which ended only after he bit his sister’s wrist. I started to yell, but their laughter reached me first so I closed my mouth.
Shortly thereafter, my girls began wrestling again. (My son was sitting near me, where no one likely would attempt anything.) I’m not sure what started the second match; I only looked up in time to see my middle girl remove her cowboy boot and throw it at my older girl. The thump of it hitting her back was followed by the older girl grabbing the one-shoed middle girl and dragging her to the ground.
The rain had picked up by this point, and the two girls squealed as the wet and the mud seeped into their clothes. Their laughter was contagious, as we couldn’t help but smile at their innocent fun. When they had had enough, they both returned to the fireside covered in mud. In fact, muddy handprints marked each girl’s face. My middle girl’s glasses were somewhat askew, and the oldest’s phone was caked in mud.
About the time we figured the fire was safe to leave unattended, one girl decided to head to the house to shower. The other decided, of course, to race her there. Not to be left behind, our son tried to catch up. Hand-in-hand, he rolled along behind them.
There is nothing quite like spending an evening with your family when they are getting along so well. The laughter and the fun, the warmth of a fire and some simple food – it really can’t be beat.