Dirt Pile

This story begins with an explanation of why I currently have a large pile of dirt on my driveway. The blurry picture below shows the pile after about half of it has been used up.

"Using it up" means "relocate it to the roadside." Too make this long sidebar story shorter, let me simply say that I've been unhappy with my homeowners association's decision to put gravel alongside our roads. They did this because they built the roads too high and then had to come up with some way to protect the roadbed shoulder. For many reasons, in my humble opinion, gravel was not the correct answer. So, I chose to remove the gravel and replace it with dirt. This way, I can eventually have grass again from my yard to the edge of the road. Anyway, this picture will give you some idea of how I have been "using up" the dirt pile. Perhaps obvious to you, given the above picture, will be the fact that I have more dirt than I have roadside to accept the dirt.

Part two of the story involves visits this past weekend by my children and, of course, grandchildren. Though I had not seen him since his first birthday, Anders took a real shine to me this weekend, which was just fine with me.

With the nice weather we had during the weekend, it was important to spend time outside. Of course, the dirt pile was an attraction for young minds. Grandma may have had something to do with teaching Anders the fine points of dirt clod selection and pitching. Also, digging and pile climbing.

There may also be some genetic links for "dirt pile play techniques", as here is Anders' father, circa 1975, in a dirt pile. This was after his mastering advanced techniques in building dirt pile hideouts and dirt pile face decorating. (I can't explain the crossed eyes, unless this is one of those "oh no, not the camera again" moments.)

When the three other grandchildren arrived, they too were drawn to the dirt pile. Henry is trying out "king of the mountain" and the girls are busily digging away at his foundation.

Watch this space for a sequel, entitled "Leaf Pile."