Give Him Mud

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful." E.E. Cummings

I've mentioned that upon first moving into our home my husband planned to have a garden. After almost 5 (long to us) years of rental living where he didn't even have to mow the lawn, my husband was READY to get to work. Although my father tended a garden I wasn't the gardening type, or so I thought. When our first Spring arrived the garden went in and a rain barrel came shortly after. This is my husband's first rain barrel. Even though this picture is from just 6 years ago, rain barrels hadn't become popular and weren't part of mainstream conversation. Needless to say this was new for ME. However, if you watch a movie and it contains a farmstead or cottage a lot of times you'll see them with rain barrels.

A few years ago after a friend mentioned that a local business was giving away barrels my husband stocked up on a sturdier barrel and now we have five, yes, five barrels to water our burgeoning greenery.

This is the new, updated version. These barrels are actually attached (by a green hose close to the bottom) so that we can get double the water in the same space.

Well, the point of this post isn't just about water conservation and frugality, but about MUD. These barrels have become a wonderful tool to create rivers in our yard.

There is a wonderful slope at this place in the yard convenient for a kid's version of a river, producing lots of mud. Dear Reader, when we go outside we get dirty. It's a face that this bookish, indoorish kind of gal has embraced as she converts to the outdoor way of life.

My little guy just loves the mud. Check out his fun!