Rocks and dogs

I decided a few days ago to revamp the stone steps I built two years ago (http://noendingjourney.blogspot.com/2008/09/weenend-stuff.html). Nothing was really wrong with them, but the last few were terribly steep. I've had a few friends really struggle with them, although if it were me, I wouldnn't attemp0t them a second time if I had a problem. But it is obviously something that is a potential problem, and it needs to be altered for safety. So I'm in the middle of moving, moving again, and moving even more times, big rocks. Big rocks = 30-40 pound rocks. I'm getting frikkin' tired!

It's a huge job, and I really don't want to be doing it. However, it needs to be done so that the steps are safer. It means that I have to add a lot of big rocks to extend the slope of the hill out farther to make it more gentle, adding lots of top soil to bed the rock in, wrestling those big rocks into place, packing soil around them, watering it to compact the soil, going back and adding more soil where it has settled too much, and occasionally relocating a boulder or two. It's slow, labor intensive work. If it isn't done well, the rocks can dislodge and send someone rolling down the hill, probably with several boulders following. I don't like doing this. It isn't fun. I get very hot and sweaty, and along with that, I'm grouchy. I say lots of bad words, especially when I smash my fingers or toes. My shoulder muscles are already hurting. I can't imagine what they will feel like tomorrow. gah. Better take the Tylenol now.

OK, I'm finished bitching. I'll be very proud and happy when I get it done, and I'll probably be boasting with pictures. But that's later.

I was driving into town today to get a haircut and a German Shepherd ran into the highway. I barely missed him! He was very scared, probably of traffic, but also the was thunderstruck and there was some powerful lightening and thunder around. He was in that state of panic that you could tell he wasn't thinking, as he almost ran into several cars. He seemed to not even see cars on the highway! I pulled off the road and saw that a young couple was trying to coax him off the road. I saw cars coming over the hill and simply walked into the road, held my hand up for them to stop, and by golly, they did! We managed to get the poor animal off the highway, and we found he had a collar with the owner's name and phone number, thank goodness.

I called the cell phone, and the owners were not home, but told me where they lived, very close by. We opened my truck door, and he jumped right in! I drove over and tried to get him out of the truck, but it was pouring rain and thundering, and he simply didn't want to get out! So I made a decision to go on into town, get my haircut and come back. Bless his heart, he just sat in the back seat of the truck the whole time!

When I went back, I was able to get him out of the truck, and I started driving . When I was almost back to the highway, I looked in the rear view mirror, and .... yeah, you guessed it, he was following me! I turned around and went back, and he beat me there. In the mean time, the woman had come home and was there to put him up. The trouble is, he has chewed a couple holes in the fence! I had a GS one time that we simply could not keep in. She climbed or jumped every fence. They can be buggers!

Roscoe, as I learned his name to be, was really a great dog. I would have love to keep him. Such a sweet guy! But I would have had the same problem that those folks did. He will probably never be corraled.

It has been a heck of a day. I'm going to see what I can watch on the boob tube and relax. I'll probably fall asleep on the couch at this rate!