#8: Slave labor + stupidity = a bloody lip.

For six years we lived atop a bluff north of Spokane, on a sprawling 100-acre alfalfa ranch. I call it a ranch but it wasn't... we had two dogs until one of them ran into an oncoming car, so really we had just one dog and a smattering of other weird pets, but never anything ranch-worthy. Four horses did appear on our doorstep one day, but they turned out to be locals that had gotten loose. It was fun while it lasted. 

I distinctly remember thinking, as a 10-year-old, that I had no desire to ever leave home, because HELLO, WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE COULD EVER NEED. 100 acres? Check. Trampoline? Check. Swingset? Check. Barn? Check. (It had two haylofts, one was designated for girls and the other for boys. CHECK.) BarnYARD? Check. Silo? Check. Not that I know what a silo is good for, but it sounded important.

We also had four or five walnut trees. As a kid, any tree that yields something edible is a source of potential survival if the world ends. So those trees were yet another check on the list of awesomeness -- clearly I've never been a homeowner, or I could've loaded up the 'Cons' column with things like... flooded basement? Check. Second flooded basement? Check.

Anyway. Walnut trees. They drop walnuts. And unless you're bionic or have nothing to do (and we were homeschoolers, we had TONS to do), those walnuts pile up at an alarming rate. So we used to have to pick them up individually, as the lawn couldn't be mowed until they were gone. We'd slap on plastic gloves, form a line, and comb the yard to find them. Then those same trees would drop leaves. Those were a bit easier, as all you had to do was rake. Unless you're me, and you aren't watching where you're going and step right in the way of your brother who has just pulled a big rake full of leaves behind him, and into your face. My lip got really huge, really fast. I ran inside to stop the bleeding, and all of my siblings followed me because they wanted to see, of course laughing the entire time. 

I think that's when I developed my ability to cope with pain by way of incessant and otherwise nervous laughter. It would make sense.