Raking Paynes

Oh, the pains of leaf raking -- sore hands, achy back, stiff shoulders ... but the Payne family was anything but a pain (their yard on the other hand, shew!)

Mike (my super sweet helper) and I first arrived at the Payne house in mid November to find and front, back, and side yards covered in layers and layers of leaves. We raked the first day for 3 hours and finish the front yard just as it was getting dark. We returned the next weekend with re-enforcement, Anna and Kat joined Mike and I in the raking fun! The four of us raked and bagged the back yard for hours. Between the two trips we had bagged over 50 bags of leaves!

Gale Payne called me again last week to see if I would want to come work on the yard again for another donation -- of course I would! This time I was helper-less so much to his chagrin, Gale's son Robin was sent out to help me tidy up the leaves in the front yard before the county came and picked up bagged leaves. The yard was soggy from rain the day before and the leaves were wet and heavy. Robin hung in there for a bit, but had enough after an hour of raking and bagging .

After tidying the front yard and bagging the remaining leaves I headed to the back to try and bag a few piles that we were unable to finish before it got dark the last time we were there. I also moved some more of the already bagged leaves to the front to be picked up. Here is a picture of me with most of the bags...

The Paynes are a sweet family and I am happy our paths crossed.Very sincere thanks to the Payne family for their generous donation(s) to the Breast Cancer Fund! Gale dedicated a pray flag to her friend Gail Davis, who has had her own battle with Breast Cancer.

If you too have a loved one you would like to fly a prayer flag for, please visit my fundraising page at www.breastcancerfund.org/climb09/Jbarton. With a donation of $100 or more I will fly a prayer flag on the top of Mt. Shasta in honor, or in memory of a loved one. The prayer flag is a Tibetan tradition in which flags fly from heights where the wind can catch and carry their messages of hope throughout the world. The BCF has adopted this tradition as a way to pay tribute to the lives and memories of those who have faced breast cancer.

Climb On,

Jess