THE GIRLS had a choice yesterday: Help Mrs. D. with a massive cleaning of the house inside, or join me outside for the final leaf raking of the year. They bopped back and forth a few times before settling with me in the front yard, where the year’s most ironic statements were made.

R: “I’m going to start a leaf-raking business!”

Q: “Me, too!”

Naturally, within 10 minutes R. was complaining that Q. wasn’t doing as much work as she, and Q. was doing her fiercely annoying groaning thing that indicates she’s being burdened with impossibly onerous demands. LIke, say, making her bed.

I may have offered a half-hearted comment along the lines of helping your old man being great practice for starting a business. It went over about as well as you’d think. But by the end, the girls were legitimately helpful, so I suppose any grumbling complaints on my part are just churlishness, right?

Nah, I didn’t think so, either. | DL