Drainage part III

I think it's over, finally have conquered the dry well. Early this spring, I went and dug a hole almost 6 feet deep, and about 3 feet in diameter. For me, to dig by hand, it was a very large hole. Took the weekend to complete.

I didn't count the couple of hours it took me at Menards to piece together things. Oh sure sure, everything looks like it will fit together nicely when you first start picking stuff up. I'm here to tell you it's a myth! I must have blown close to 2 hours trying to get pieces that fit together.

I ended up buying a device, it's circular, with a top and a bottom. It has holes on the sides and bottom for drainage. You stick that sucker down the hole, along with about 1,500 pounds of river rock and you got yourself a dry well.

I ran into a little problem, being spring, there was some moisture in the soil. After removing a decent sized rock, I found that the yard was draining into my hole. Battling soil is one thing, battling water and soil is not easy. Came out the next day to find the hole filled with water.

Now everything is done and I can rest easy that my sump pump has some where to push that extra water that collects around the house.

We've got a runner!

Was out just the other day in the wonderful spring weather that has just graced us with the dog and snapped a couple of pictures of her playing. All in all though I think I took like 50 pictures, which 6 of which were actually kept.

Also was able to get a nice one of her stacking naturally. Actually I think the running picture is worthy of a background for a few weeks.

Expectations...

A quote from a cartoon I watched the other night, took me totally off guard for a cartoon, so it was even funnier.

Chowder: Why’s she so mad at you?

Mung Daal: Well, women have these things in their bodies called...expectations.

Chowder: Are expectations bad?

Mung Daal: Well, they’re bad for us. But we can never live up to them. Once she learns to lower her expectations, everyone will be happy.

Chowder: You’d think after four hundred fifty years her expectations would be really low. I mean, really, really, really, really, really, really…

Mung Daal: (interrupting) I get it, Chowder! Just go to sleep. I guarantee, she’ll be a lot happier tomorrow.

Chowder: Okay!

Xmas Break

Ahh, Xmas break. A time to reflect, a time to enjoy some well deserved time off and relax. I was afforded a few days of relaxation, but then the cruel world of home improvement and repair decided to ruin what should be a time to be lazy to a time of pain, suffering, and dropping a load of money off at Lowes.

A day or so after the family stuff was done and over with I discover that our drainage pipe from the house isn't draining so well. Shortly after we had a record snow fall, which gave my poor little snow blower a hefty work out several times we had record rain fall. Of course the house was built with a well and sump pump to move any water that is by the house away from the house.

Upon digging up 20 feet of trench, about 3 feet deep. It was discovered that the drainage pipe was clogged from end to end with dirt. The pipe didn't have any kind of covering on it to help prevent soil from collecting in it. So the pipe was dug up and replaced.

Now comes the real kicker, the weather for a couple of days was mild enough that I could dig up the pipe. The weather turned much colder and my mound of dirt that was supposed to go back in the trench is now frozen.

I'll add a picture later.