Some pretty river rock. Actually, it’s five tons, and one ton of gravel, and the truck that delivered it was worth the price of admission. It’s a double dumptruck, and it pulled up across the street, unhitched the second bin, then backed up and dumped the heavy skull-sized rocks. THEN it went back across the street, hooked into the second trailer, and the second bin ran on rails up INTO the first dumptruck, and locked in place. The truck backs up again, this time depositing the contents of the second bin [large gravel river rock] on our lawn edge; and then goes and hooks to the carrier again, sending the empty bin #2 back on its rails, and hitching both trailers together.
And Jane has pix when she gets organized. Right now we’ve got a couple of trugs [you know, those baskets they use in Egypt at excavation sites] that are handling the rock very nicely, and we just put rock in, lug it up to the dry stream water feature, and dump.
Would you believe it snowed last night? About an inch—and here we are with trees budding!
Last week SE Arizona had weather in the high 80s to 90s (Yuma topped 100, but we won’t talk about that). This weekend, the overnight temperatures will get down below zero and we are expecting snow within sight of the Mexican border in desert/high chaparral. Global warming is as much about unpredictability as it is about warmer temps…
In the meantime, don’t strain yourselves moving all the rock in one day. We’d rather support you monetarily for writing more books, rather than commiserate with you about having to lay off your livelihood due to aches and pains. TAKE CARE of YOURSELVES!
Ah, another day older and deeper in debt . . . .
I admit your yard sound lovely. Can you come and do my yard, too? Because I would love this stuff, but I am just not going to do it. LOL
Don’t you love seeing ingenious solutions to problems like that? I look at them and see if I can use something like that for my own projects… 😀 Ditto please take care of yourselves.
This is what we’re using: http://www.amazon.com/AM-Leonard-Seven-Gallon-Trug/dp/B0010T4R36/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1302218866&sr=1-3
They’re an incredibly tough, soft plastic that doesn’t hurt your hands, and they’ll carry about 30 lbs comfortably—they’d hold 50, but I’m not crazy. 😉 It makes sense to load them reasonably, hike up the 4 steps to the yard and the 10-20 feet to where we need the rock. You set this bucket down, take the shovel and heave some rocks in, then carry. Or lean it against the stack of rock and let it roll in.
The rock is liberally coated with mud, so step one is to hose it down and clean it off. But it’s pretty rock when it’s wet. I told Jane we should spray it down with vegetable oil to make the colors show, and Jane told me I could be in charge of spraying the rock if I wanted to to that. 😆
What’d you get? Bony fingers, bony fingers?
That, combined with Egyptian digs and these trugs (never knew that, interesting) and I’m wondering where your Stargate medallion is. Do be careful of symbinots…..
…Or perhaps, after all that lifting you’ll wake up to find the mummy walks. Yet they don’t say about the duddy or…tbe puppy…. But then, I guesss the cat mummies would get jealous. No, I don’t know where that’s going or why, but it looked like it would be funny when I started! Somehow, also, pirates enterdd into that. Not sure what’s up, but I just woke up, and I think tea and a shower and breakfast are in order. My brain appears to be free associating like crazy.
All from an Evyptian trug? Neat word.
After brief errands today, I may be motivated toward spreading dirt and grass seed on my front yard. Or more likely tomorrow.
Have fun with your landscaping, it sounds purty!
You are women of great strength and courage. It sounds like your yard is going to be/look wonderful. I am looking forward to Jane’s pix.
I totally agree with DIY….last example was helpers stacking 2 cords of stove wood, which fell down in the first moderate wind. 🙁 🙁
Meanwhile here in the East we have finally begun to work outside. (The first day of spring was great and went progressively down hill weather wise until a couple of days ago. *And* I have had to have yet another root canal!) We got the leaf netting off the pond. Now we need to get the venturi pump filter thing going and get some algicide to clear the water. Do you have any opinions on brand?
I’m using a Danner Mag 9.5 that I *happened* to have left: it’s the old return pump from the marine tank from when we had the marine sump underneath the stand. Now that it’s downstairs I use an Iwaki 100 on that, throttled way back, because I overbought.
The Danner Mags are great pumps, but the ones I know are way pricey because they’re designed for saltwater use, and the 9.5 moves 950 gph, which is great. A cheaper but good pump is the Little Giant. Beckett also makes a good one.
If you cut a piece of fiber mat filter to fit your bucket and put the pump under it, and some pillow stuffing atop, you’ll not have the problem with string algae stopping your pump.
One thing with the Danner pumps: they’re really easy to unclog.
Thanks for the info.
Finished organizing *all* my tax info and delivered to my accountant. It amazes me how many forms I have for a very small amount of income. However, I don’t think I will ever beat my father who (admitedly many years ago) used every form but agriculture.
Finally spring, time to work outside… 🙂 😀 😆
Just finished Betrayer. Purr.
It started me wondering though – as you have now spent such a long time in the Atevi universe – how have you reacted? Has any of it ever spilled over as it were into outside writing thought or speach patterns?
Do you long for a vacation on a Chanur ship?