My husband and I moved two mountains of gravel on Saturday with the loan of a wheelbarrow from Fran, a kindly neighbour across the street. We laid it out on the left to cover the mud left by the foundation excavation, thinking we could use it as a parking spot during rainy weather.
The second pile, on the right, was not planned. Superior Propane said they wouldn't deliver unless there's a driveway they can back their truck into off the street, since they don't want to risk potentially getting mired in a wet lawn. My long-suffering husband has been doing most of the work so far on the church, and I thought this was one problem I could solve for him. So I ordered another pile of gravel to provide a driveway of sorts---thirty feet of crushed rock on the right, to mirror the rock on the left of the sidewalk. It was the only place to put it, because of the tree and water valve further over.
Halfway through moving the mess, I admitted to my patient husband that this was probably a big mistake. Not the look I was going for. Not pretty at all, though it's symmetrical. I hate losing my shady green lawn in front. It occurred to me that if Superior wants our business, they should figure out how to deliver the service without my having to completely rework my desired landscaping plans. I'm looking at all the neighbours who have propane tanks stuck out in the middle of their lawns and I'm wondering how they get their propane delivered. Do they levitate over the grass?
I freely admit I made a snap decision and ran with it without thinking it completely through. But back at our city house, I've been in gravel-hauling mode all summer, so when I was faced with a problem, the only solution that leapt to mind---my automatic, knee-jerk, reflexive response---was to throw gravel at it. Gravel is apparently my fall-back solution.
To his credit, my husband just helped me laugh about it and kept shovelling. Ah well. It's only rock. If we truly hate it, we can move it all again. Or put dirt and sod over it. Or stick potted plants and a bench on it and call it a minimalist garden. Meanwhile, the day was sunny and breezy, and the trees are turning lovely colours.
My husband took these photos and sent them to my mom, with the title "Nine metric tonnes and one crazy woman."
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This is the gravel equivalent. 😁
ReplyDelete