Backfill Begins

Phil took the older two boys with him when he went to move the cows today. I think it cut his time at least in half, if not by two-thirds. Once next door, Isaiah drove the truck, Jadon sat in the back and watched the line unreel, and Phil walked along and placed posts. (I didn't know this, but apparently Phil has been driving the truck and unreeling out the window, stopping every so often to walk back and place posts.) Happily, the boys must have assumed that task was more pleasant than shoveling gravel, as they went without complaining and returned in good spirits.

We received shipment of more insulation (always more insulation!) and wood for framing.

But rather than work on the interior, Phil figured it would be better to start backfilling. This would make it easier to get the needed gravel into place for the rest of spreading, and increase safety as we walk inside. The two board "bridge" gets awfully slippery when wet, and I've had it once that a dog tried to push past me while I walked across. Scary with my shifted center of gravity!

Our little backhoe is not ideal for the task, but it gradually got the job done. We were both surprised at how very much earth was needed to backfill just the few feet of linear wall.

Phil pulled many of the largest weeds, mostly to keep them from rotting in the anaerobic conditions and creating some settling and compaction issues.

It was amazing to stand next to the long north wall and be able to touch the roof. Eventually, the plan is to put dirt up to the roof, but we need access for now.

Once the backfilling was well along, he put up some insulation on the top four feet.

He also made some battens (wooden strips) and shot them into the concrete. In spots either that won't be covered with earth, or in the top four feet of the structure even if covered with earth, the plan is for insulation. Phil put insulation up around the door, and by the end of the day, it was easy to step in the door.

And he put insulation up to the roof in that one section by the door, too.

In front of the door, thus, is both soil replaced today and the red clay that has not been disturbed. We looked at the orange clay and the somewhat more brownish soil that has been growing weeds while exposed to the sun: quite a difference.

For Phil, this was an immensely satisfying day. He can see that future work around the job site should be easier, without sheer 15' drop offs and tight maneuvering. And even with the not-ideal-for-the-job backhoe, the tractor shoveling is much easier than shoveling by hand, offering visible progress.

It's amazing to see the difference a day makes.