Relative Something

Lately, every day seems to be a big day around here, but yesterday was bigger than most. We had excavators and fence installers working at the same time at two different locations on the property.

A ditch was dug to lay in a water line and an electrical wire to supply an on-demand water station between the two paddocks, which will be heated to keep from freezing. They need to move a lot of dirt, to get below the frost line, and to make a ditch wide enough to be safe for a person down in it. It was a fascinating process to watch.

The backhoe is like a toy. I can see why there are “big machine” camps where adults can go to “play” with them.

The man running this one was a real artist. After they finished with the water installation, he drove around behind the barn and shaped the ridge beside our new driving lane. Then he moved out to the fields where he buried what remained of our two brush piles.

They worked non-stop till after 6 p.m., pausing only briefly for lunch.

Now that the work requiring the backhoe is complete, they can finish the fence around the paddock.

If we don’t pay attention, these paddocks will be ready for horses, and we won’t have yet prepared to bring some on. We’ve been waiting so long – since we moved in last October, really – it would be a shame to have not prepared in advance for the moment we’ve dreamed of for a long time.

After all that waiting, it suddenly feels like things are moving real fast.

That’s good, but also, a little scary.