The boys and I picked up pine cones this afternoon. I’d gone outside for a short walk and they were playing. I must have looked happy to see them because one of them asked, “Mom, why do you always seem so happy to see us out here?” The were filling up a garbage bag with pine cones to make a fire.

I don’t know, I said, I just like seeing you play. Then I had the idea to start collecting pine cones too. I wanted one of those massive plastic garbage cans you see in town on garbage day. It seemed like we could use them for kindling or something. I found one of the bins in the garage where we’d kept the racoons at first.

So then I started collecting my own. The pine trees outside our house are full of them right now. Pretty soon they came over to where I was and started helping me fill my bin. Another one had found two other buckets and filled them both with fallen pine needles. After that I think we still were outside for a while.