I had no idea this entire hill on which my house is built, is sand.  The company came on Thursday morning to begin the process of hooking the well to pipes which would then connect to the house.  When I saw the size of the excavator I grabbed both dogs and got into my car and drove to Osoyoos for the night.

This was Frieda’s first trip to Osoyoos as I couldn’t trust her prior to now, however it was an emergency because I couldn’t leave the dogs to Nicky given the mayhem going on in the yard.  She sat on my lap, trembling and panting the entire way, and Louie slept in his dog bed on the passenger seat, a seasoned veteran.

When we arrived Louie leapt out with joy as he hasn’t been since I got Frieda last year in April, and he was even more overjoyed to find both Luke and Jan living there.  Frieda did some of her usual stunts such as pretending she had no idea how to come up the steps from the yard but by Friday she was using the stairs like a pro.

On Friday I gave myself a good pep talk when we got onto Hall Road as I said to myself you know you wanted this, it will be bad but don’t freak out, maybe it won’t even be that bad, maybe I shouldn’t go home.  Oh dear God was basically what I said out loud as I rounded the top of the driveway and hit the thick sand.

You’d think you were on a beach in Hawaii.  I parked the car and looked open-mouthed at what remains of my driveway.  The red bricks outside the basement kitchen window were removed.  One irrigation pipe got torn in half and there’s a hole the size of a Volkswagen beetle in my lower yard.  Giant boulders are strewn throughout the sandy hill and all Oregon grape’s been scraped off.

But ya know, just like the first time you see someone with a burned face it’s scary, then the second time, not so bad, and pretty soon you look at that person and forget all about the scars.  And I have to say I’m watering away, ignoring the driveway, dragging the hose around acting like all’s normal, and it kind of is.

It’s not the first time I’ve ordered a project and then wondered what in the name of God in Heaven I’ve done.  But I have a vision for Hall Road and it involves having my own water and as Luke said when you want to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs.  Indeed it seems I did that.

Other hilarity, though much smaller, has ensued.  About a month ago I got a new stove delivered from Home Depot, and the other day I decided to bake some cookies.  I opened the drawer of my new stove, and it was empty, and then I went oh right, your cookie sheets were all in the drawer of the old stove.  They were excellent quality heavy-duty sheets, so I was totally bummed out at myself.

To cheer myself up Elsa and I went out on a shopping spree but I said to her you know we have so many treasures from thrift, perhaps we can browse the Greenery for some plants.  I said I’d like to get a hosta.

They were nearly sold out of everything but had tons of succulents, and as Elsa explained, I needed them.  So I still didn’t get out of shopping and buying despite the new destination.