The Back Green

It was an exceptional day to work in garden or the back green (back yard in American). My green is currently not so green. Its more of a burnt umber with lots of sticks, various acorns, hickory and walnut hulls left over from the pre-winter feeding frenzy of woodland creatures. I raked and shoveled 900 thousand carts of crap and ferried it out into the far reaches of the wood. I figured if I said a million, no one would rightly believe me. My back and arms muscles tell it was well over the 2 million mark.
I have a companion named Piper, a mix of hound and spaniel, that has a knack for getting into mischief. Any time that we head into the wood, she loves to run out in front of me and look for things to roll in or bring back to the garden and bury. As it turns out, she had been using the very leaves and debris I had been raking to hide her precious treasures, so every time that I raked a pile, she promptly sniffed it over from top to bottom and gave a worried expression on her face. I noted on more that one occasion that my neatly raked piles would be scattered about and there would be Piper, tail curled up over her back, prancing with something in her mouth. She would usually stop at the far side of a tree and peer around to see if I was watching. If she did catch me, she would stare me down and then move to new spot. If she could talk, I am sure she would be saying some like, "bloody hell, can't he leave my things alone?? What I did this to his things?" I am certain that I will find my work boots on the back green in the morning as retribution.