This week's hard work project...

Though I have been fairly quiet on the blog this week, I have been working.  We decided that there was a need to redo the retaining edge strips for the paver patio, and to redo the dirt both around the patio, and the north side of the foundation.  Oh, and don't forget the storm shelter!  That always needs more dirt around it, especially after certain Monkeys decided to fight WWI again on the west side, complete with GI Joe scale trenches for proper trench warfare.

Wednesday I spent a couple hours digging out the edge of the patio.  With a Sharpshooter shovel it wasn't hard, but I had to make sure not to disturb the paver base material lest the stones shift.

The retaining strips were then set at the bottom of the trench and nailed down with the supplied plastic nails.  The old dirt was then filled back in, resulting in a much nicer looking edge with no visible plastic.

Part two of the project arrived at 09:20 Thursday morning.  Six cubic yards of slightly damp Texas topsoil.

With DH back at work this week, that left myself and 3 Monkeys to shift all that dirt into the back yard before it rained!  Fortunately, the kids can manage a full load in the Gorilla Cart, so two of us shoveled, and two did the dump 'n run trick....until...

This.

Yes, a large construction ring-nail was found imbedded in one of the cart tires.  Oops!  Hard to haul dirt with a flat tire.  After managing to get one side of the tire off the rim, and extracting the offending nail, and the damaged tube, I was able to patch the hole with the old style vulcanizing bike tire patch kit.   (rubber cement and the patch.)  The tire went back on without tools--YAY!  And the patch held air.

Not long after this, our neighbor Frank stopped by, and volunteered to help.  What a true lifesaver he was!  He came with a shovel and a two-wheel wheelbarrow, and worked with us for some 4 hours, shoveling and hauling, raking and leveling dirt. 

See?  It's shrinking!

They say, "How does one eat an elephant?"  Well, one bite at a time, or in this case, one shovelful at a time!  We didn't quite manage to shift all six yards of dirt before DH got home from work, but we came close. 

Almost done!

We finished up before 18:00, and while I went out to get some dinner and seed matting for grass, DH and the kids cleaned up the driveway mess.  After dinner, we worked more on raking out the dirt where we wanted it, and got the matting down to keep the dogs off of the fresh damp dirt.  Hopefully, the matting will not only protect the seed we will be spreading, but also keep the expected rains from relocating all our dirt through erosion!

Tomorrow's project?  Laying down SOD!