This Girl’s House

Well, the rock was delivered. 

I forgot what 20 tons of rock looked like.  And I also forgot how difficult it is too spread.  It’s like moving marbles.  Heavy marbles. The truck driver did a great job laying it out along the driveway, but there were certain areas where he couldn’t reach and he had to leave a pile.  I was using the potato rake and my boyfriend was using the shovel.  We worked for an hour spreading the rock along areas of the driveway.  I was sweating bullets.  After the first half hour, I could hear myself whining.  I would say to my boyfriend Steve, “Do you think we’re done honey?”  And he’d say, “Darling, just another 10 minutes.”  This conversation was repeated more than once.

By the time we were done, I was soaking wet.  You would think that this type of activity would have eliminated the need for me to go to the gym, but no.  Women of my age need weight lifting exercises, and spreading rock simply does not do my fat butt justice.  I’m taking a breather, having a sugar free non fat latte, and then driving to the gym.

Footnote:  As a reader reminded me, it might help you to know a little more about the driveway.  This reminds me of the period when there was no driveway.   At one time, in the exact spot where there is the driveway now, was a ditch, 4 foot deep and about 8 foot wide, stretching about 150 feet from the road into the property.  Neither myself nor the county biologist could figure out the purpose of this ditch.  I never did see standing water in it.  There were a few large stumps that rested in or near it, so I figured that when the land was logged, this was a spot that they planned to put the stumps. 

As it turned out, I followed suit with any brush that I ended up cutting down to make paths for the county to come and do their inspections.  If you’re not burning brush, you end up having to put it somewhere, and the stuff can start piling up pretty fast, even if you’re cutting it down by hand.  In the end, that ditch became a dump for any brush I cut down on the property.  In hindsight, that might  have been a mistake.  Even though the   driveway  was eventually carved out and bulldozed, the brush that was in the ditch was buried by more dirt and clay, and so is only now breaking down.  Ever so often, holes will appear in the driveway.  Furthermore, there are areas in the driveway that become especially damp after a heavy rain, and where rock seems to disappear a lot more frequently, as if there is some large creature eating the rock at night. 

Talking about rock, I spent thousands of dollars on rock for this driveway over the past 3 years.  When I broke ground, the driveway was carved out only so far, since I had no idea at the time where the house would lie, and what the direction, the garage would face.   My main concern was getting the driveway in far enough that the well digging truck, some 30 foot long and very heavy, could get in and maneuver sufficiently to dig the well.  In addition, after the driveway was carved out, I had rip rap rock, which are large boulders ranging in size from 12 inches to 3 feet just dropped into the driveway, and then crushed into the ground to give it some stability.  As it turned out, this was a good decision, because shortly afterward, it started raining, and raining, and raining.  By the time, the well truck arrived, I was concerned that there might be a problem holding the truck up from the muck.  It was a close call, but with some maneuvering and the help of some large steel plates underfoot, the truck maneuvered in and got the well dug in just 3 hours. 

This morning, we’re having a delivery of 20 tons of rock of inch and a half.  Normally, I would have bought 3/4″ but my boyfriend tells me that my driveway is still way too soft, and I need something larger to keep it from sinking.  It’s February and it’s been raining a lot lately. 

That driveway is pretty much a mud pit.  In fact, right now, it’s pouring down, and the truck will be here in just two hours.  Twenty tons of rock might sound like a lot of rock, but with a 200 foot driveway, it’s just a drop in a bucket.  Hopefully, we will be able to cover the main portions of the driveway this weekend because this delivery is costing me $500.