A Dirty Tale

The huge dirt pile is gone - taken down to the patio area one wheelbarrow load at a time. We did the last of it yesterday morning before heading out to the hardware store where we got caught in a deluge of epic proportions. The "light rain" we had been promised apparently never got the memo because the skies opened up in a cloudburst and we were store-bound for 30 minutes before it lessened enough to run to the car.

Look at this amazing rain bomb that fell in Queensland, Australia. Our cloud
burst wasn't quite that dramatic, but it was very wet and certainly not
"Light Rain". These microbursts of rain happen in certain atmospheric
conditions and can drop a lot of rain in a very short time. 

Back home, after the rain had passed and the sun returned, we spent several hours with lines, levels and pavers working out slopes for drainage and where the new patio level will be. We're going to be shaving off quite a bit. Looking at the old patio now, it's quite obvious that 50+ years of tree roots haven't done the brickwork any favors. It undulates and doesn't drain properly any more, so I'm happy we're redoing it.

We strung line and used a line level to establish a basis, then
worked off that in incremental depths for drainage paths. It
was challenging, but I think we have pavers set at the different
depths now so we have something to work from. 

This week will be a busy one. DH will meet with the utility company representative on Tuesday about getting that electric pole guy wire moved eastward to a better location, and we're also hoping for a final meeting with our landscaper to finalize exactly what we want/need done before we sign the contract.

Using a Bobcat tractor would have made moving the large
pile of dirt from the upper yard down to the patio level a LOT
easier. But we didn't have access to one. They can be a
bit tricky to drive. I drove one a few years ago and,
although fun, it had a steeper learning curve than I
had expected. 

At least there will be no additional truckloads of dirt in my immediate future. DH said that it saved him quite a bit of money, but that it also was four days of backbreaking work to get the pile moved down one wheelbarrow load at a time. If he had rented a Bobcat tractor, it would have been much easier. But then the expense savings would have disappeared. Oh well, he had to try. LOL

Apparently the large pile of dirt in my front yard had
been a single truck load from a truck similar to this one.
I think DH said it was 1.7 tons of dirt - a lot of weight
to move by hand. 

Have an excellent Monday. I'm off to swim and then to my Chiropractor. Then breakfast and finally work. It's not a bad plan, all around. Yippee!