I’ve got lots of things that need done these days and don’t seem to be getting to enough of them. That’s not an uncommon scenario for those of us in the construction business. I planned to get a chunk of work done this past weekend to help balance the load.

Our daughter, son-on-law and their two kids visited for the weekend. First thing Saturday morning, my 9 year old grandson Clay and I took the donkey for a walk in the woods. I thought it reasonable to fit that in prior to my workday. But then the necessity of teaching Clay about cleaning .22 rifles and starting to learn to shoot just seemed more important than any work issue.

Later a buddy called and wondered if we could show he and his similar aged grandson the Big Rocks about a mile from our house where we jump from boulder to boulder, slither down into underground rooms and try to fit through cracks to small for our bodies. How could work compete with that offer? So off we went to the Big Rocks.

Later a fantastic Saturday evening church service rounded off one of the best days I’ve had. Maybe I’ll be working more evenings this week, but I’m sure glad I flowed through that wonderful family day.

On Sunday, I wondered if they all wanted to walk a few miles over the mountain to get an ice cream cone at The Pretzel Hut. They loved the idea. Soon, Anna, Chris, Clay, two dogs, the donkey and I were walking the Horseshoe Trail over the mountain. Grandma and baby Levin stayed home.

When we got to Eagle Rock, a beautiful overlook, I snapped a photo that gives a sense of the people and the place. Most weeks I get a chance to walk these trails, feeling the awe of life’s beauty and complexity.

The donkey enjoyed her ice cream cone as much as any of us. The Pretzel Hut has a sort of petting zoo with a pigs, goats, rabbits, peacocks, ducks, chickens, etc. Some of the animals are in cages but lots of them just roam free.

As we started walking home, I noticed our dog had circled back to the Pretzel Hut. Then I heard a cacophony of squawks and saw chickens running in all directions. A few seconds later, our up-till-then amazingly passive dog Kenzie came walking toward me.

She carried that chicken about 3 miles home without ever putting it down, just wagging her tail in the pure joy of it. When we got home, Clay and I butchered the chicken (after watching a YouTube instructional video) and had another questionable bonding experience.

So it’s Monday morning and I’ve got too many things to do. Would I change my choices for the weekend? I doubt I’ll ever remember what I was planning to do this weekend. Clay and I will never forget what we did. Make good plans, but take advantage of some of those spontaneous wonderful moments that sometimes pop-up.