We have had a continuously heated argument these past couple of months here at The Simple Farm. We need to build a house. As funds always seem to fly out fast then they come in we’ve tried to find ways to keep from spending money. One of the ways I’ve been tempted to save money in this house building process is in the excavation of the basement. I mean, come on, it’s a hole. How hard can it be to dig a hole? I’m sure I could do it in….a month? If I rented a small back hoe couldn’t I do it myself in a couple of days? Worse case is a pick and shovel and how long would that really take. I’m thinking a couple of weekends right? Milly and the rest of the gang scoff and scorn every time I mention it. I’m flabbergasted to think that it costs $3,000 to dig a hole so I’m still not convinced that I shouldn’t spend some afternoons with the aforementioned tools along with treats and candy to entice unsuspecting visitors to come help me dig a little hole. Well, after a few months of getting beat down to dust I succumbed and called the excavators. They came out to dig the hole yesterday and today with this tiny machine.   Look at this small pile of dirt. Couldn’t I have shoveled that by hand? Well, I guess there were these piles as well. And this one.   You get the point. So maybe it would have taken a month of pick and shovel work. Wouldn’t that be worth $3,000? Milly says NO. I guess I grudgingly have to admit maybe Milly was right again. At least I sure am glad I listened to my wife this time. Another thought on this process We had kind of a nervous feeling when we pointed to the spot and said “This is the place.” Milly started hyperventilating but that’s not all that surprising really as she has a tendency to pass out from high intake of O2 (or blood for that matter). ********************Side Story************ When we got married, just before we went in for the wedding ceremony Milly started bawling and snorting like she was just about to make the worst mistake of her life. I wasn’t sure if it was me or just the situation or both. I’ve come to find out that sometimes the situation can be overwhelming to her. Most of the time it’s when we are making a life altering decision. I guess I’m just not observant enough to realize the import of most decisions we make. ********************************************** This is going to be our home site for the next 50 years. Kind of crazy to think we just walked around and did a few solar positioning activities then had a hole clawed from the beautiful prairie soil. I hope we don’t argue for the next 50 years that we should have moved the house over just 10 feet.