Words&Dirt

Give me level earth, and there I shall build my home.  There is something hopeful and also mulish in this sentiment, which embodies our noble determination to shape the world according to desire as well as our failure to live wholly within the natural systems that contain us.  Such was my thinking when the carbon guzzling tractor arrived, along with a friendly fellow named Jim.  Jim even brought along a smaller carbon guzzler for me to use so I could get a sense of exactly how the ancient sunlight was being channeled in order to gain the flat advantage (or was it because my helping out with the project saved us $700 from his initial quote?).

To follow through with our ambitions to double our current garden space and also make room for a new 8′ by 12′ greenhouse, Ma and I decided that the best way to proceed was to bite the bullet and get a section of our lawn leveled out.  Our lawn has just enough slope to preclude the possibility of building raised beds and a greenhouse without either moving a significant amount of earth or adjusting the structures to sit level on an inclined surface.  Given that I want to construct the raised beds and the foundation for the greenhouse myself, we concluded that a level surface would best accommodate my considerably limited carpentry skills.

Lawn before leveling

A friend recommended Jim, who came over and offered not only to do the job for a reasonable hourly wage, but also to allow me to help him in order to cut down the cost.  We jumped on the offer.

Getting started

I soon learned that hiring Jim was a very good move.  Like many of the older men I’ve met who do this kind of work, Jim is quiet, thoughtful, and intelligently assertive without a trace of arrogance.  Not only did he do a great job leveling our lawn, but he also made an excellent suggestion about what to do with the excess sod, which was to cover it for a few months to kill all the grass, and then plant an asparagus patch.  He also offered lots of useful pieces of advice throughout the process.  I think it is easily apparent to a guy like Jim that I am very new to this kind of thinking, so I was grateful that he took it upon himself to give precise hints about how to proceed after the job was finished.  Additionally, he taught me how to use his mini track loader, and was patient with my persistent awkwardness while operating the machine.  After I used the mini loader for an hour or two, Jim had to do a few small chores with it.  I took a break and watched him work the controls.  The mini loader looked like an extension of his body.  As my admiration grew, I was reminded of the conceited assumption that many people (including myself) make about folks who work with big machines, which is that the job is a simple matter of pressing the right button or pulling the right lever at the right time.  Watching Jim, I realized how patently untrue that is.

The tractors

New berm for future asparagus patch

With just a few hours of my help, Jim completed the whole project in one and a half days.  Ma and I are extremely grateful for his prudent comportment, helpful demeanor, and overall professionalism.  And beyond that, we are excited to begin filling this previously underutilized lawn space with new plants!

Clean slate