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Kids and Construction Projects
Jun. 16th, 2006 07:14 pmI've long known that when moving to a new place, the quickest way to get to know your neighbors is to have kids. This works even better if your neighbors have kids, too.
In the absence of kids, construction projects can be useful.
Driveway Guy dropped off eight cubic yards of loam earlier today. Right about that same time, a couple of business things came up. They took most of the afternoon, but eventually I changed into grubby work clothes, tied my hair back, pulled on gloves, and started the job of spreading said loam along the edges of 275 feet of driveway. My tools? A shovel and a wheelbarrow. Oomph.
After seven loads from the pile at the bottom of the driveway, I took the empty wheelbarrow up to the much larger pile at the top. I'd asked Driveway Guy to leave about three-quarters of it up there under the theory that it's easier to push a full wheelbarrow down a hill than up it. Four more loads later, and my next door neighbor, Ed, came to investigate just what the dogs were still barking at. I was reassured to hear he'd had to do the same thing -- spread dirt and plant grass -- when he had his flat driveway paved.
A few minutes later, Ed offered to bring over his quad bike and trailer. Instead of shoveling a wheelbarrow-load at a time, rolling it down the hill, and dumping it all in one motion, we'd fill the trailer, take a lot more dirt partway down the hill with each trip, and shovel it out from there. It meant more shoveling, but faster work overall. And it saved 50 or more trips walking up and down the driveway with a full-then-empty wheelbarrow. ( As if I would have managed that many today. Right. )
For my next trick tonight, I'll shower the dirt and sweat off, then likely indulge in a Lush bath. Hmm...Avobath or The Happy Pill? Or maybe a Black Pearl because I really could use a pearl of wisdom along with smooth skin right now.
In the absence of kids, construction projects can be useful.
Driveway Guy dropped off eight cubic yards of loam earlier today. Right about that same time, a couple of business things came up. They took most of the afternoon, but eventually I changed into grubby work clothes, tied my hair back, pulled on gloves, and started the job of spreading said loam along the edges of 275 feet of driveway. My tools? A shovel and a wheelbarrow. Oomph.
After seven loads from the pile at the bottom of the driveway, I took the empty wheelbarrow up to the much larger pile at the top. I'd asked Driveway Guy to leave about three-quarters of it up there under the theory that it's easier to push a full wheelbarrow down a hill than up it. Four more loads later, and my next door neighbor, Ed, came to investigate just what the dogs were still barking at. I was reassured to hear he'd had to do the same thing -- spread dirt and plant grass -- when he had his flat driveway paved.
A few minutes later, Ed offered to bring over his quad bike and trailer. Instead of shoveling a wheelbarrow-load at a time, rolling it down the hill, and dumping it all in one motion, we'd fill the trailer, take a lot more dirt partway down the hill with each trip, and shovel it out from there. It meant more shoveling, but faster work overall. And it saved 50 or more trips walking up and down the driveway with a full-then-empty wheelbarrow. ( As if I would have managed that many today. Right. )
For my next trick tonight, I'll shower the dirt and sweat off, then likely indulge in a Lush bath. Hmm...Avobath or The Happy Pill? Or maybe a Black Pearl because I really could use a pearl of wisdom along with smooth skin right now.
