Over thirty years ago when we moved from our house in town to our newly built country home I brought along an unusual object. I don’t know why for sure but I just couldn’t part with it. It was a twelve foot white picket fence that stood next to our stucco garage in town.

Even back in 1980 I was an environmentalist and had a love and concern for our earth. So it didn’t take me long to figure out a use for that section of picket fence. I cut it into three four foot sections, dug four holes in the form of a square, inserted fence posts into them and nailed the three sections of fence to the posts. One side of the fenced in enclosure was still open but I solved that problem. You see several years before I had bought a steel garden gate at an auction not because I needed it but because I liked the looks of it.

The gate was sitting out in the trees serving no special purpose other than adding clutter to our wind break. I fastened the gate hinges to one of the posts and the gate closed the open end of what looked like the smallest yard in the world. If there had been lawn inside that mini-yard it could have been mowed in around 5 seconds. 🙂

But I wasn’t quite finished with my project yet. I found a wood pallet. Back in those days wood pallets were useless pieces of wood and nails. No one had thought of painting them and turning them into American flags yet. I plopped that pallet into my mini-yard and it fit perfectly. My storage container for crushed aluminum cans had been born!

It took years to fill the fenced in aluminum storage area. Our family did fill it once and we sold the contents to a recycler. Back then the money earned from the sale was precious and I don’t remember but I assume we bought something necessary for the family with the windfall.  We may have even squeaked out enough for a six pack or two of pop with a portion of the earnings.

This past week Kathie and I emptied the aluminum storage container for the second and last time. The contents filled eleven garbage bags. However, with our finances on more stable ground we didn’t sell the second harvest but donated it to the Sportsman’s Club in Wheaton instead.

As we were bagging the crushed cans I began to reminisce what those cans had witnessed as the pile of aluminum deepened with each passing year. The first harvest I would title the growing up years of our children. The second harvest would represent the leaving home of our now adult children and the arrival of grandbabies.

Many of those crushed cans actually were reminders of the family gatherings when kids and grandkids visited to celebrate holidays, birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. I smiled as I remembered our house being wall to wall grandparents, parents, siblings, suitcases and sleeping bags.(and one dog Izzy!)

One Christmas is especially memorable. We did not have any snow. It was climate change before the media recognized it. We built a huge bonfire and enjoyed a star filled, mild evening. There were a tremendous number of cans to be crushed after the flames died down that particular Christmas! 🙂

The stored cans I’m sure smiled at our attempts to slay pheasants and deer in our head high switch grass field bordering our yard. Several years ago we did have success, however, as we were sitting on the patio when a rooster pheasant landed several hundred yards in front of us. Grandson Tristin and I grabbed our guns and walked toward the landing site. The bird flushed and it met an untimely death and the granddaughters enjoyed an anatomy lesson as we cleaned the bird.

The most exciting hunt occurred when Tristin shot a beautiful buck down by our creek and I had to help him drag it across the creek. Then Tristin gave me an anatomy lesson on the internal organs of the White-tailed Deer. A reminder that one is never too old to learn, even old biology teachers.

A wooden platform built between the branching trunks of a Box Elder Tree is a reminder of a M.E.A. break when grandkids Logan and Miah came to visit. One thing led to another and soon Grandpa was headed to the lumber yard in town and before we knew it a tree fort took form. It became a play area when grandkids visited and I think several times it became a deer stand too. A few aluminum cans were emptied on that wooden structure over the years by relaxing grandkids and maybe even an adult or two.

The biggest project occurred when the grandkids decided we needed a trail through our windbreak, down the highway ditch and along the tree covered creek bank. Grandpa joined in on the project with great enthusiasm. After that every time grandkids visited the first request was to hike the trail.

Now that does sound like a fun project and environmentally educational too. However, who do you think got stuck with maintaining the trail? But then what are grandpas for? 🙂

Our house is built halfway up one of the only hills in Traverse County. So when the winter snows fell we had an instant sliding hill out our front door. Grandkids, parents and grandparents made many trips up and down that hill.

My life passed before my eyes one particular winter as I was beginning a solo slide down the hill. Two large Pine Trees grew close together with their branches interlocking at the bottom of the hill. There was a two foot space under the boughs with a tree trunk on the left and a tree trunk on the right. My sled was picking up speed as I headed for the massive pine trees.

I had two choices roll off my sled and abort the run or duck my head and slide under the interlocked pine branches. What if I didn’t fit and my head was removed in the process? I knew eight grandkids were looking on in horror expecting to see the demise of their old grandpa. That gave me the courage to lower my head and flatten my body(and close my eyes!) and hope for the best.

I still remember the exhilaration as I slid beneath the green pine needles and continued out into the field setting a new distance sliding record. Of course the grandkids thought that was a great trick and proceeded to copy my accidental stunt the rest of the afternoon.

Well that’s enough memories for one blog. We are just filling the eleventh bag with the remaining crushed aluminum cans. The picket fence storage container will be destroyed once the last can has been removed. Its wood will become a bonfire and provide one last bit of enjoyment.  The memories it has witnessed over the years, however, will last a life time! 🙂

Until next time.