Ohhhhh, Moan Groan, Ohhhhh

 You know how it is.  You go out to get a job done and just keep going and going until you finish, no matter the pain, because the gain will be SO worth it.  Well I'm moaning and groaning this morning like a little old crotchety woman!!  Even Cooper looked at me cross-eyed!!

This was the problem, only it was much worse because in this picture most of the water had subsided.  We needed to figure out a way to get water away from the house.  There are more extensive rains expected this week.  I started work at 6:00 am when it was around 80 degrees.  

First up, cut back all the bird of paradise and try to salvage some of the gravel.  Boy am I glad I bought that really cool red wheelbarrow.

I began digging dirt from the low end to fill in here.  Once I got through the gravel on top, it was easy digging because of all the moisture.  Desert dirt is funny though ... it wasn't the least big muddy, but just damp enough.  All that rain and water had already seeped below the 12" mark.  That made digging much easier, although anyone who had wielded a shovel for a few hours knows it's not easy.  More moaning and groaning could be heard.

Just as I was contemplating quitting for the day, Mr. Chance showed up to help out.  I had actually been thinking about a nice long 6 hour break, but back to shoveling I went.  Dan brought this little beauty with him.  A battery operated chainsaw.  How cool is that??  It's a Harbor Freight piece of let's-make-things-easier machinery I HAVE to have.  

I had run into some big tree roots that had to go.  This did the trick in about 30 seconds.  Fingers crossed the tree will live, but I have my doubts.  There was just no way around it.

Another couple of hours and we had the flower bed raised by eight or nine inches, enough to keep the water away from the house.  I was getting so exhausted from the now 90 degree heat, I could hardly stand up.

We dug out a ditch along the other side to channel water around the house and down the hill.  This needs something.  We discussed the problem for another 30 minutes before deciding on a half-pipe to run the length.  Filling the trench with big rock would work, but then I would have to shovel it all out again in a couple of years to clean out all the silt.  Better to have an open pipe if possible.  

After 5-1/2 hours of hard work, I spent the rest of the day on the couch not moving an inch.  I must say that TV is pretty boring this time of year.    

I finally took a couple of aspirin and headed over to the Chance house for dinner.  Patty made her famous chicken taco soup, which was worth all that shoveling.  It made me feel so much better that I actually played with Cooper a few minutes before crashing on the couch.

Moan, groan, uggghhhh ... I'm not as sore as I thought I would be this morning, but my hips aren't exactly happy with me.  Surprisingly, the rest of me is pretty good.  What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

This morning I'm off to have my oil changed in the truck and to ask if they know where I can buy half pipe.  I imagine there will be lots of phone calls while I try to come up with 45 feet of the stuff.  Wish me luck.