I’ll dub it The Great Yard Upheaval of 2005. Our previously hideous backyard has had its hideousness multiplied many times over by today’s back-breaking efforts. Using the stump of a splintered shovel and a garden rake Mary and I began the process of overturning the tangle of dead grass currently gracing our soil. This was made especially interesting by the prolific network of mulberry and white pine tree roots hovering just beneath the surface. Five hours of root pulling (using the ever-powerful lower back muscles as any true twenty-something male would) and dirt stabbing and we seem to have made a depressingly small dent in the project.

In the picture on the left I’m kicking some mulberry root tail. Note the back curvature. You can almost see my spine rupturing through the skin. The picture on the right should give you a better overview of our progress. The dogs seemed to enjoy a day in dirt. Taylor chipped in with a couple nice size holes of her own, while Trammell leaped in to help me pull most of the roots we exposed. Good kids.