Birth of a Backyard...and Garden....Day1

A bright, sunny, and cool morning greeted us as we prepared to transform our fenced-in desert to a glorious haven for our family. I was happy to be able to sleep in until a little after 8am, but it was a later start than we had hoped for. No big deal. It wasn't long after climbing out of the sheets that our first load of topsoil arrived.

Watching that man maneuver his rather large dumptruck through the gate and into the far corner of our yard was pretty cool. Probably wouldn't have been so impressionable if he hadn't had to do a little off-road driving to get over the pile of dirt & rocks left by the previous owners...we were both concerned he was going to dump on his side. It was so cool watching the front right wheel stop moving when it had nothing to hold onto....

The smell of fresh, quality dirt filled the air as it hit the ground. Smells like it's going to be a great day! As the dumptruck pulled out to head back for load number two, the tractor arrived. Wonderful!! So, I kind of hurried through the house to finish getting dressed, pull my hair up, and get a little sunscreen on my face, all the while chasing down Mr. Luke to get some clothes on him. He was more interested in letting me know he wanted to "go...go...go..." he didn't care if he was in his pajamas. Better yet, he really didn't care when he was half naked! He just wanted outside to offer his help. I finally succeeded in getting his diaper, jeans, and hiking boots on, thanks to the help of the still-too-heavy sliding door to the backyard and his being way too impatient to deal with the deadbolt on the door to the garage (which was still closed up, anyway). Out the door we go! Straight for the tractor. Goofball.

A minor fit ensued when we wouldn't let Luke "drive" the tractor, but he decided helping me with the big flower bed was an okay compromise. While Luke and I finished preparing that, started on a rock path for Red to use (which will eventually have to be replaced...), and started taking off sweatshirts, Jeff began getting rid of the hated rock pile. Then he started tearing up the desert and leveling things out a bit. The second load of topsoil arrived just as I was finishing the rock path and Jeff was finishing the leveling work. Luke thought it was very cool to watch the dirt slide right out of the big "toy" in his yard, though the EXTREMELY loud back-up beeper made his ears hurt (he wasn't alone, I can tell you that much!). He then noticed that the tractor wasn't being driven and took FULL advantage. Have I mentioned lately how quick this boy can run and how well he climbs?? He immediately found the hazards and turned them on, then waved at us, said "bye!" and maneuvered the steering wheel to his heart's content.

The dumptruck left for the load of Bio-Comp (biological compost...wonderful stuff!) and railroad ties, so we began strategizing the spreading of the topsoil. Another minor fit, this was resulting in a little time in the Pack-n-Play. After all of about a minute in baby jail, he said he was ready to behave. I let him out and the Little Man made a beeline for the now-towering pile of dirt in HIS yard. I think this was probably Luke's favorite part of the day....he got very dirty, he got to throw the dirt all around, he got to dig, and he got to climb to the top with nobody stopping him when he decided to roll back down the pile.

Luke took a tiny break with me to get a drink while Jeff started the process of spreading the topsoil. Realize that Luke had already seen us with our big people cups and refused to use his own cups, so I had to get a big person cup out for him. He took it outside, put it on the table, and went straight to work helping me do the actual spreading. I had the rake, Luke thought using just his hands would be fun. Jeff kept plugging away with the tractor. Luke got bored pretty quick and went to throw rocks in his pool...still upside down for winter storage and against the fence where the wind had blown it. I figured out REAL quick that I was going to feel that rake spreading, but it will all be worth it.

Time for a lunch break. Luke was MAD because he didn't want to come in, but as soon as his hiney hit his chair, the stomach took over. Momma and Daddy didn't eat fast enough for him, though.

Back to work. MY turn on the tractor! I love driving the things, but dangit if this little Kubota with all it's auto features didn't kick my butt! I just kept looking for the clutch and gears when all I had to do was put my toe down for forward, heel down for backward. Seriously, I looked for that clutch the entire time I was on board! How sad. But it was nice to be able to drive the thing....even for the, oh, 20 short minutes I had it.

I went back to rake spreading for a little while, Jeff went back to dumping buckets for me. Luke...well, he moved from rocks in the pool to doing circles at the house. He'd go into the garage from the backyard, through the door to the house (yes, he can open it from the garage now), out the open sliding door, then do it all again. He thinks this is great fun...I don't know why. Then came the fun of starting the border....

For those who know Texas, you know that you can dig down about 3 inches, then you hit rock. It takes a little work, but you CAN manage to get through that rock. Not in Colorado. Seriously! How sad that you can sneeze at a piece of shale and it shatters, but you can't budge the stuff with a hammer and stake! Anyone have any dynamite? Or a jackhammer? Wait....the jackhammer would probably break....back to dynamite. A lot of work with a little sledge hammer and a chisel did finally work, though....sort of. Most of the stakes are 1/3 to 1/2 of the way in the ground. We'll have to figure something better later. But at least the sides of the border are in. Back to spreading and getting the topsoil laid.

Last load arrives. Let me tell you the bio-comp smells sooooo wonderful! Like a combination between the best dirt you've ever come across, decomposing leaves in the woods, and wood that's just at the point in rotting that it's starting to provide nutrients to the forest floor. The railroad ties for the garden were also in this load. So, I go to back our trailer into the yard to take the ties to the garden plot on the far side of the house.

I hate bumper pull trailers. HATE them! Though I give credit that this trailer does steer well, and the 4Runner really makes a difference. I did end up breaking a tail light on the trailer when the lay of our property caused the trailer to disappear from my sight and I had to steer blind, hitting the very edge of the gate, but it's a $10 piece, so I'm not too upset. I got it straightened out and parked into a pretty decent place for the ties to be loaded.

It's a good thing we're both fairly strong. These ties literally came off the tracks, so they're oil-laden. And heavy. One in particular made both of us do that grunt-moan thing that heavy things cause a person to make. Some huffing and puffing on our part, but Luke was thrilled to get to "drive" the 4Runner to the garden plot. More backing of the trailer, but it was much easier this time....it didn't disappear AND I had a spotter! Ties unloaded and put into place, with Luke giving the occasional honk of the horn in approval. Then he got to "drive" the 4Runner back to a safe parking spot. He was amazingly ready to go back to the dirt, though.

By now I was sure we'd never get all the dirt and bio-comp spread before we ran out of daylight. Luke was starting to get tired, and he wanted to drive the tractor again. Jeff did let him "drive" a load of dirt to the garden plot, but it wasn't enough for the Little Man. He humored me by entertaining the neighbor's dog while I spread the dirt in the garden plot, but he was ticked when we went back to the yard and he wasn't allowed near the tractor. Enter another fit, and another trip to baby jail. I think he was in there for about 2 minutes this time. He was great when released, again, coming to help me do yet more rake spreading. He held on to the rake with me, pushed and pulled with all his might. He got tired of that quick and went back to his hands, only to decide running around on the stuff was more fun. And then....back to the circle from garage, to house, to backyard. I kept spreading. At one point I did have to go pick Luke up because he was giving his impression of the defiant Chinese protester in front of the tank. I knew then I needed a break because I couldn't lift him. I finally did, out of sheer will power, but it was a huge, huge, huge effort. Jeff was finishing with the tractor and took over rake spreading duties for me, giving me a much-needed rest. Thank you, dear! Luke was just happy to high-tail it back to the now still tractor.

Finally, it was time to finish the border. We only put the sides in earlier because we needed to keep the back open for the tractor. More pounding in the shale, more bent stakes, more frustration, followed by a VERY pleasant surprise of two stakes going all the way in with very minimal hammering!! The border is FINISHED! Just a little touch-up work with the rake, then time to break out the brand new "rainbird" sprinkler to keep our hard work in place and prepare the stuff for tilling...

The shower felt soooo good!! Poor little Luke was so darned tired that he was falling asleep while standing up in the shower, just leaning back on my legs. He conked out hard, but that's a good sign our little man has had a full, fun, and good day. As for us, sleep is going to be wonderful, we loaded up on Motrin for our muscles, and will be getting the final little bit done in the morning.

So, day one ends.......