Being a Beaver

Sometimes I focus on what is not.  I'm NOT 15 pounds lighter, I am NOT always as patient as I would like to be with my children,  my house is NOT big (it is also NOT usually very clean), I'm NOT where my husband is, there is NO grass in my yard, etc. 

Lately, I have been trying to focus on what is, and right now there IS dirt in my yard. 

Last week Fisher and Piper built a beaver dam.  They worked on this thing for two days mixing mud to "mortar" scrap wood together then filling in any potential gaps. 

It was very much a process for Fisher.  He had seen something about beavers that said (or showed) they throw mud balls where leaks may form, and that's exactly how he did it.  He threw mud balls at his dam. 

There was the occasional break to inspect a grasshopper

or tiptoe on the rocks.

But for most of two full days there was mud.  Piper was a very efficient "mud manufacturing assistant" and worked hard to keep the supply up with demand. 

Two days lead up to testing their creation.  Would it stop water?  Would it spring a leak?  Let's find out...

...it held!  Mostly.  There was one tiny spot where water was just barely coming through and Fisher threw a ball of mud at it and successfully stopped the seeping water. 

We celebrated the victory by playing in the mud. 

Just think, if my yard was perfectly manicured and filled with grass we'd have missed this.

 Focus on what is...