Today, after several bureaucratic snafus and delays by a petty and insignificant man, the construction on the deck behind Rutabaga started up in earnest. There was a large, and I mean large backhoe. Jim, the driver/artist, was amazing. I believe he could pick a sliver out of my finger blindfolded. He could dig out a dandelion without disturbing the surrounding turf. Frankly, I’d say the guys spending a bazillion Euro building the massive super-collider at CERN would be better off splitting atoms hiring Jim. Just tell him how you want the atom divided, which orbitals you want where, and there ya go.
The footings will be poured tomorrow, Lord willing. We had soil testers out today and with a little bit of stone added, I think we have a good footing, but it has been such a wet year I was concerned it would be worse. Silty sand, not clay, is a good thing. I also learned from Dave, the soils engineer, that the worst soil upon which to build is Houghton Muck. I have no idea what H.M. is, but it caused Dave to grimace uncomfortably. I can just see the contractor — “I’m sorry to tell you this…you have Houghton Muck. There is no known cure.”
The world is a lovely place right now. A short walk around the neighborhood today showed evidence of Bluebells and Lungwort, as well as May Apples and Hepatica. Saw a few Dutchmen’s Breeches too, and other early spring things too numerous to mention.