Now that’s an escavator!!!

Work Done by Others = More Efficient & Cheaper

You may have read the last post about Backhoe Weekend… how it rained–a lot, and how we endeavored to dig up those stumps anyway… True that we got a lot of useful work done last weekend, but clever Dan spotted an even bigger rig that was demolishing a house nearby. He stopped and chatted with the guys for a bit and struck a deal where they would go to the farm and dig up the remaining stumps–and there were PLENTY still to deal with–for a mere pittance, by comparison.

 
The rig that was big enough to do the job was enormous. Some call it a TRACKHOE. Dan stood next to it one evening and the size of the track went up to his waist! The scoop and the teeth on the scoop made the backhoe from last weekend look like child’s play. Check it out… the trackhoe is the yellow rig in the back…
 

 
To give you a bit more perspective… Here it is up close and look how small this full-sized man looks in comparison.
 

 
Thus, the bucket with the teeth on this rig would be able to make child’s play out of digging up those stumps and their massive root systems. I’m not sure how long the guys were on the farm, but it really wasn’t too long. They must have dug up a hundred stumps and roots of varying sizes and I’m going to show you the roots that we no longer have to dig up. Now we just need to haul them to a destination on the property so we can begin the process of getting the soil ready for the hoop houses and all that we’ll plant in there.
 
Check out these roots!
 

 
I am so thankful that Dan handled the job so strategically and inexpensively. He’s a clever guy–that one!
 

 

 
Remember that really big, massive tree that he felled with the new chainsaw when we first started on this clearing trek… I think they even dug out that stump!
 

 
Pretty massive and pretty amazing, eh?!
If we had to dig these ourselves… well let’s say the seasons would come and the seasons would go and we’d still be trying to figure out how to grow anything on that root-laden land. Great job, Dan!
 

 
Have you ever seen such a massive root system? I guess you have to be pretty grounded to withstand those Kansas winds! Now I know why the trees don’t fall down often.
 

 
And it’s a good thing too, because winter temps and wind have descended upon us, which made it too cold for working out there this weekend. I hear it’s supposed to snow and freeze overnight, so I’ll wait until this chill breaks before I go back to raking the two more loads of gravel that were dumped and mostly spread on the drive and entrance area.
 
I am very thankful that there are machines out there in the world to do such a job. How did the pioneers really make a life out in the prairies when they didn’t have such luxuries and they had to not only clear the land and plant food, but they had their families to take care of in the meantime. I can come home to my little warm house every night while I’m working on this project. The pioneers had no such luxury. I feel so blessed. Thank you for everything…
 

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