What the dozer found

As of Wednesday the dig was underway. When we arrived, the south foundation wall of our century farmhouse with its rubble and mortar wall and ancient handmade wooden door and threshhold, was exposed, Massive boulders had been unearthed by the dozer, but thank heavens, not the big shelf of bedrock we had been warned by former owners might be lurking under the basement of the rooms now demolished, just waiting to throw a spike in the works.

All of us, including the contractor and dozer operator, were amazed at how incredibly dry the earth was -- almost devoid of moisture in this strange, unusually early and dry spring. Meantime, a procession of trucks rumbled in with loads of sand for the septic bed, dumped them out in the field and then hauled away the dirt. Bob and I dodged the trucks to rescue a couple white lilacs clinging to the edge of the pit and barely alive and plopped them unceremoniously into quickly dug holes. Checked this Saturday, they appear to be flourishing.

There were other signs of progress, including a new coat of foil covered insulation over the antique tarpaper on the farmhouse walls, but the big point of interest was the stake out for the new addition and the garage. What didn't we go through during the planning process to save the old maple near the house! Looks like there will be only minor damage to its roots from the garage foundation, but what a pain if it dies after all this trouble... forever leaving visitors wondering, "now why did they put the garage in such a weird location?"