Machinery!!

Minutes after I hit the publish button on my last post, (No Machinery. No Hard Hats.) machinery showed up!!

We weren’t expecting digging to happen until Friday or Monday so when the doorbell rang and the guy asked me to move my car out of the driveway, I was WAY okay with it!!

The cutest little Tonka toy looking machine zoomed into the backyard super fast.

Within seconds the patio that Monte and my brother-in-law, Nate, (before he was our brother-in-law) built was sitting in the bottom of a dump truck.

And I was going to save a piece of the stone!

The entire house shook as the Little Machine That Could started picking up and dropping huge pieces of the concrete slab that our den once sat on.

Each drop broke the concrete into smaller, more manageable pieces to scoop into the dump truck.

And sent Nigel into a fit of barking, fear and more barking.

“Get off my lawn!" 

Nigel howling in disapproval.

I watched with the fascination of a 4-year-old boy.

I kept thinking of the kid’s show Ellie watched 

when she was little, Bob the Builder.

“Can he fix it? Yes he can!"

Minus the eyeballs and the blue cat, it was Scoop from the show!!

I really, really, REALLY wanted to go out and ask if I could drive Scoop,

just for a second.

But I was blocked in by the dump truck and the fact that Scoop never stopped for even a minute for me to ask.

Not even when its driver got a phone call.

I’m dead serious.

I watched him answer the phone, 

not once, 

TWICE 

while driving!!

Can you imagine that conversation?

(Of course I did.)

“Sure, honey, meat loaf will be fine. Gotta go, I’m working. Okay. Love you too!!”

I also watched Scoop pop a wheelie

IN BOTH DIRECTIONS,

at separate times, of course,

due to the weight of the concrete slabs.

I decided that maybe it would be just fine if I didn’t ask to drive.

I had to break away from all the excitement to take a quick shower.

Nigel let me know by barking and scratching at the bathroom door that this had arrived:

Oh, yeah, baby!

This episode of Bob the Builder just ramped up.

They were all in my backyard! Except Bob. 

This new piece of machinery dug into the earth like it was soft butter. 

I quickly forgot about Scoop and really, REALLY wanted to drive this new thing.

I started worrying about my beloved Sycamore when all these broken roots started getting exposed.

The hole took no time at all to dig!

Then the large scoop-like machine finished 

and cruised down our driveway. 

 Ignore the dead hanging plant. I have--since late July.

The neighbor and I decided this hole would make a fantastic pool 

and we should just go ahead and fill it with water.

Too bad they took the water spicket away the same day the AC went to live in the garage.

A form was built to hold the cement footer.

The next morning, as I drank my coffee and worked on my bible study homework, I stared at the makeshift ladder that had been built to get the workers in and out of the hole.

I think I know how Alice from Alice in Wonderland felt when she saw the bottle with the little tag that read, “Drink Me”.

It was FAR too tempting. 

I decided that it was my hole and I could stand in it if I wanted to.

I roped Carisa into photographing it.

I didn’t realize that she just kept snapping the pictures.

Me inspecting the extension cord that was running
from the basement window, through the hole, to the
garage refrigerator since the power to the garage had
been cut. I’d just been to Trader Joe’s for crying
out loud. Priorities.

 She managed to catch me recovering after I tripped over the extension cord.

As she pointed out, there was only ONE THING in the ENTIRE HOLE that I could possibly trip over. AND I FOUND IT.

Then I discovered ALL THE WETNESS around what used to be our garden hose spicket. Our builder keeps saying to us, 

“I’m so glad we are doing this now.”

Translated:  “Your house was about to cave right in from 

carpenter ants and wetness."

After my spectacular extension cord trip, Carisa must’ve thought my ascent from the hole on the makeshift ladder was going to be quite the show.

I love her shadow taking the pictures.

Because she recorded just about every step.

Even Nigel was afraid he was going to miss something.

Peeking over the edge of the window.

I had to go get my hair cut colored. And I missed this while I was gone!

They poured the cement without me! Which meant a CEMENT TRUCK with the spinning tank and everything was here and I didn’t get the chance to want to drive it.

I wasn’t the only one fascinated with our backyard hole.

Julie and her daughter Robyn stopped by:

Falling in the hole!!! 

McDaniel’s Young Life leader came by before the Homecoming Dance Saturday.

Trying to recreate Julie and Robyn’s picture.

Our neighbor came by before her date picked her up.

And numerous other friends and neighbors have been by to look at the hole.

Yesterday, Monte decided that he would regret it if he didn’t stand in the hole.

This morning these were delivered. 

I’m hoping that means a cement truck will be pulling into our driveway any minute.

I will keep you posted.