Dirt Work Done Dirt Cheap...

Everybody remembers the blog post on the catastrophic septic system fail. I know that probably brought to the minds eye the vision of antique slop jars, porta potties and big old plastic 5 gallon buckets pressed into use but it really was not that bad. It was nothing that contacting a local reputable company and writing a big check could not fix. They did a fine installation and the burying of the new tanks left me with a huge pile of dirt to fill in settling. Here's old Ez and the pile  to give you an idea of it's size.   

We have had a little bit of rain so settling has been slow but I have worked diligently each day to shovel and spread the dirt. Here's my set up for work. I have not shoveled this much dirt since the summer I was 17 years old working for Richardson and Sons Construction. It's good to know at this age I can still shovel dirt for at least two hours every day. In fact if you take into consideration the my work ethic at 17 then I am probably as good now as I was then.  

So here is the final result. You might note there is still a slight elevation there but I think it will be fine and settle on out. I have a fig tree in a big pot that I have been nursing this summer and I might plant it there when the weather cools. Some years ago I humped up a big mound in the yard and made a raised tomato bed. I remember exactly when I did that. It was 1986, the year the Chernobyl nuclear reactor blew in Northern Ukraine. Best tomatoes I ever grew that year but in the 32 years since then that mound has settled down and I am not sure of the exact place I had it. Another 32 years I'll probably be on the other side of the river looking at what's left of this mound. 

I'll be glad when the grass comes back. This is clay soil and after the little rain it made a gumbo mud that added about 10 pounds to my boots as I walked through it. We are having a Wiley Family Reunion Fish fry this weekend with cousins from 4 or 5 states coming and while you can flush, shower and wash clothes as much as you want you might not be let in the house after a jaunt through the yard. I am thankful for cousin Wes and his wife Connie for hosting this weekend and I promise to show up with clean shoes. 

By the way, that's not my house, that's the barn.