Keeping the House on the Hill

This past Sunday I was out in Malibu helping my good friend Hoagie place a drainage culvert back where it belongs. The rain had eroded the dirt and concrete around the top and caused the 25 ft section of pipe to slip about 3 feet down the hill and come lose from it's concrete anchoring at the top of the hill.

The process was interesting. it involved removing rocks and debris from the top of the pipe in order to make it light enough to be pulled up the hill by a vehicle. Once we accomplished that we tied a cable around the pipe which we anchored to some sections of rebar driven into the ground. On top of this we then stacked rocks and bits of concrete, followed by a chicken wire type item.
We then cemented the whole thing in place as best we could.

It was really a fun day. There really is something in me that enjoys working in the physical realm. Maybe I wouldn't like it if I had to do it daily, but over the last year working at my different friends houses I've learned to do a lot of things that I didn't know how to do before and had fun doing it. When I was very young I assumed I would be a farmer and I think that seed is still somewhere in me. It's no longer what I would choose for my life, but I have an appreciation for the labor no less.

I dream to one day have something like a house and a yard, if I'm particularly lucky maybe a few acres to do with what I choose. It's a beautiful thing to get dirty, even if it's in the name of keeping your house on the hill.

I drove back to town at the end of the day with a big smile on my face. I was filthy and the cement on my skin was sucking all manner of moisture from my body, but I felt great.