A Job for a Kid

All the buildings around here have icicles hanging from their gutters.  They are quite pretty but we were nervous about the ones running down our big kitchen window.  I asked Ben if he could knock them down and he thought it was a perfect job for a kid.  Paul agreed. 

Ben outfitted Paul with the long window washing pole with a big sponge at the end of it and suggested that Paul first try his hand on the icicles hanging from the living room window.  It's easier to work out there since there is more space to wield the pole.  If Paul could handle those icicles without breaking a window or hurting himself, we'd let him try the ones on the kitchen window. 

Paul was more than willing and in short order he knocked down the icicles hanging off the living room gutters.   I watched nervously from inside while he had a great time wielding the pole and crashing down icicles. 

Fetcher, who had been peacefully sitting at the living room table next to the window, became quite alarmed at this sudden activity outside.  Growling fiercely he jumped down and ran to the stair landing where he stayed making amazingly menacing noises until Paul finished the destruction.

To get to the kitchen window Paul had to get down the deck steps which are covered in knee deep snow.  Oops!  Well,  a tumble down the steps is no big deal if you don't mind getting covered in snow.
 

Which Paul doesn't!

Soon he was up and aiming the pole and brush at the kitchen window icicles.   I was scared!

But Paul had a pretty good aim.

He ended up jumping up on a bench and grabbing the last few.  In minutes all the big icicles were gone.

Paul enjoyed the task, but we rewarded him anyway by letting him have the first bites of the bread I was making.

It was a great reward for a bread-loving kid.