We ordered some ravel to put in Pole Barn, it will soon be cold in there, and we want it to be soft, warm, and dry.

Maria and I briefly flirted with the idea of shoveling the dirt over time – we have a couple of months and tried digging for an hour or so.

We both saved in at the same time. The gravel is damp and heavy.

It was too much even for Tarzana the mighty. Mike Conklin, our purposes handyman, landscape helper, friend, and handyman, is coming over in his tractor to help get most of it into the barn.

We’ll leave some outside for later. With the gravel, all of our winter preparations are in place – a powerful portable generator, a barn full of rich green hay, a shed full of drying wood, and a mound of gravel for the Pole Barn.

Nobody can predict the future these days. We are ready. For a while there, I thought Maria was going to go for it, but she is pretty smart about what she does. Stacking wood is fun for her. Shoveling gravel is not.

My brief round of shoveling convinced me quickly. I can’t be of much help.