Sunchokes

I'm an all-seasons kind of girl. I was born and raised in the Midwest, and I'm still here. I love aspects of all seasons, be it the holidays or weather or other activities. However, the past few days has been in the 70's during the day. I am alarmed by this. I read in the Chicago Tribune that there was an 80 degree day in 1950's. Our planet is being heated up, global warming is real, and its causing the weather to fluctuate wildly.
Anyway, because of this unseasonably lovely weather, I was able to take the boys outside. We harvested sunchokes, let the dog chew on sticks, played in the leaves, and dug in the dirt. The sunchokes were particularly gratifying because they came with the house. The ones I pulled up today were fully formed, vastly different then the nubs I thought they were. I just remembered that I left some dirt-covered ones on the kitchen table.
I have decided to let the boys do what they need to do, without worrying about the mess they are making. The Boy likes to dig in the dirt, look for bugs, and see what is happening in our compost bin. The Baby likes to ride around in his car and play in the dog's water bowl. There is always mud, and dirt, and mess, and I have come to accept that.