仔牛近道

年初め、我が家の共同作業は薪集めから始まりました。




朝からチェーンソーやら斧やらを持って、積んである材木のところで作業をする（ゆ）。散歩のタイミングと合わせて、（さ）と様子を見に行きます。（さ）は得意のペダルなし自転車で、私はそれをジョギングのように追いかけます。寒い冬に体を温めるには、この散歩が一番！木のあるところに行くとなれば、もちろん勉強を切り上げて（す）もついてきます。

材木が凍っていて作業がしにくい・・と呟きながらも、（ゆ）はもう小木って割り終えた薪を積み上げていました。一通りその辺の林を散策し終えると、私たちもようやくお手伝い。薪を移動してきれいに積み上げます。３歳になりたての（さ）もこういう単純作業が大好きです。ひとつ持ち上げては自慢げに、

「さっちゃん、ちかまろち！ほら、ね！」

そうだね、力持ちだね、すごいね。褒め称えながら、しばしの共同作業を楽しむのでした。（す）はちゃっかり、いい枝振りの木を見つけ、チェーンソーで切り取ってもらい、（さ）もそれなりの自分サイズの枝を見つけ、ほくほく顔で帰路につきました。これで、またしばらくお風呂の薪も心配ないね。

（わ）



Chikamarochi

Let our new year begin with some teamwork! On this day, we went to the nearby forest and gathered a pile of firewood for future use.

Yuki started working from early morning with his chain saw and axe, while we, Saede and I joined him much later when Saede decided to go for a walk and its destination as Yuki’s working place. She rode on her favorite bycycle “Toddler No Pedal Bicycle”, for small kids, which has no pedals, and I jogged to follow her. Yes, this is the best way to warm ourselves up easily and quickly during the cold winter. And of course, Sukla joined us – he wishes to go wherever he can find woods for his sword making! He quickly finished up his study and took his bicycle, too.

By the time we reached where Yuki was working, he had nearly finished cutting and splitting the woods. Though he was murmuring “the wood is frozen and hard to handle…”, he worked so hard! Now, it’s time to collect the chopped woods and stack them up neatly. As for the kids, they were walking and discovering things around the forest, trying to find something exciting, and only after that, they joined the work. Saede, who had just turned 3 years old, picked up a piece of wood to carry one by one and proudly said,

“Look! I’m so Chikamarochi!”

She actually meant “Chikara-mochi” meaning “powerful”, but we didn’t correct her because it was so cute! Yes, once this 3-year-old energetic girl commits herself to a certain task ever so simple, she tends to concentrate and continue till the end. On this day, too, she did a great job and was happy.

Both Saede and Sukla found their favorite sizes of wood, and we happily went back home. Great, now we have another pile of firewood ready. Happy group work!

Wakana