Big Boy Toy

 Finally!! You might (or might not) recall that a man with an excavater was supposed to come early October and remove a portion of the embankment that will allow me to park my car with ease. We were all a-tither with excitement to get this done. The weather was still nice enough that I could be able to get the area cleaned up.

Well, he was a no-show. At the latter part of the month, HeWho had arranged this magical experience, called the man and was told that it would be early November because he had Covid and was recovering. This particular man has a job to do on the site to the south of us on a lower level and talked about using the dirt he removed from our embankment on the other site and giving us credit for it.

I didn't want to sacrifice my dirt, since I can always make use of dirt in some fashion or another. But, the deal had been made and I resigned myself to losing all the dirt that I was eager to level out some areas with. I shouldn't have worried, since he never showed up or returned any of the calls we made.

When looking for someone to do this task, Drew had left messages at businesses along the major highway close to us. Most of them handled larger jobs and were booked. Last week a man showed up and went over the project that didn't include donating my dirt to another. He was supposed to be here today at 8:30 am. I am profoundly happy that he was an hour late, since my husband languished in bed and I was puttering around in my robe and slippers.

As you can see, I put concrete blocks up to indicate that I didn't want anything done beyond that point. I planted strawberry plants in them, too. You know, because plants make everything better!

Even as I write, I can hear the excavater at work on the project. We are in hopes that he will finish today!! That is his plan anyway. He might need extra time tomorrow and that is fine. I will be cooking the day away for Thanksgiving. Wednesday will be spent traveling to Perry to spend Thanksgiving with family.

I am beginning to think that Covid has become the excuse of the day (my dog ate my homework). The weather is chilly, but bearable and will warm up later today. I will be able to park and turn my car around at the bottom of the drive like a normal person. I doubt it will change HeWho backs in from continuing to do so, but that is not my concern.

The excavator operator knew what he was doing and he was finished by 1 o'clock. All the dirt was needed to create the base for the parking pad for my car. I am so glad the other man didn't show. I am thinking he would have scooped out my dirt and done the other job and we would be left with a less than optimal parking pad. Not only that, the first guy gave an estimate of $200 an hour and had guessed the project would take at least two days, maybe more. The second guy gave us a flat rate of $2000 and that included the load of rock he had delivered and then spread.

As you can see, there is not much that I need to clean up. Some roots sticking out of the embankment to trim off and a little raking of the rock, but I can now back up and turn my car to the long steep driveway! I am so happy.

My She Shed looks a lot closer, but he just shaved a corner off the embankment and it isn't that much closer. Next year we will be playing with retaining wall blocks and making another stepping path up the side. A fire pit and pizza oven will be going up there. Eventually, an outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen will be way bigger than the indoor kitchen!