Unglamorous beginnings....

Today they came to dig holes in the yard in order to determine what type of new septic system we will need to have installed.  No one wants to put money into poop.  Your company does not come over to beam about your designer septic system.  They don't call friends to tell them that the Smith's have jazzed up their house by putting in a new septic.  They may talk about the new toilets, sinks or the beauty of laundry upstairs.  They are already talking about the French range and the prospects of dinner parties in the new kitchen.  But the percolation of one's effluence is not a hot topic- only in today's blog entry.

I think that my biggest concern today was the fence.  The fence is the barrier by which I keep my loved ones in- my wee beasties- some with 4 legs and others with wings.  There needs to be an access road built that will allow all the trucks and diggers into the yard.  Once the fence is compromised it will be hard to trust the integrity of this life saving barrier.  My unknowing about what is actually being done makes me worried- but ask anyone I tend to be a worrier.  I am sure it will all be fine and dandy for the duration of the project.

Could this get any uglier?  My mom had dug a big hole to get dirt when she built our blue stone patio while we were not home. My mom was very handy but had no concept of boundaries.  She decided we needed a patio and low and behold she made us one while we were at work.  The hole never really got filled in (nor the patio actually finished) with the exception of broken terra cotta flower pots.

Patio that Mom made on the sly

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

 As you can see from the pictures below the hole was not that bad.  The verdict was that the soil was good and that we did not need any fancy pants engineered system.  They found a really neat old bottle totally intact.  Can't wait to see what else gets dug up!  Over the years we've found a lot of old iron and many shards of pottery.  I think that the chickens are all buried on the hill so we won't be seeing them unearthed.

Hyatt's Infallible Life Balsam bottle from the 1850's

Looking for more treasures

Pip looks a little worried about the dirt patch. 

I think that this is the best we can hope that the yard looks from here on out. 

The next step is to get the price for each phase of the project.  Up to this point "ignorance has been bliss".  I think that at the next meeting when Peter's head bob and "a lot" finally takes the form of $XXX,XXX  I might necessitate the use of smelling salts to revive me.  All panic aside we don't have to finish everything all at once.  However, I am getting that Lacanche stove no matter what- even if I have to stand in an empty room with no cabinets or finished walls.