Category: Ellery

When I saw the big Bobcat sitting in the yard, I knew we were committed. The high tunnel is going up.

Okay, really we were committed when all the pieces got delivered and started hogging every square inch of the garage, making the kids’ attempts to retrieve a bicycle turn into some sort of high wire act. I so want the garage back.

Originally, Tom was going to build this big, beautiful garden with a fence and seating area and, oh, it was going to be lovely. But then we attended a gardening workshop, where we learned about high tunnels, and how you can garden year round. This whole concept was really exciting, as I once added up our grocery bills for the entire year and almost had a heart attack. Feeding five people a primarily organic, fruit and vegetable filled diet is crazy expensive. (Thus, the obesity epidemic.) After we visited another family who had their own high tunnel, the decision was made, and practicality won out over aesthetics.

Anyway, Tom’s brother John came into town and helped dig enormous holes in our rock-filled ground (hooray for perseverance and patience) which would hold the supports in several feet of concrete. Big thanks to John for helping out, and to Alicia for letting us borrow him.

Needless to say, by dusk we had ton of great big holes in our yard. And, omigoodness, the kids thought they were the most fun things ever. I’m going to add this to the list for my future toy store—big holes and dirt piles.

Addendum: My friend Libby, who has been in construction for ages, said these deep holes are actually quite unsafe for children to play in because they could collapse unless you have those cardboard tube thingies. Which we had, but not actually in the holes at that time. So when I sell holes at my toy store, they’ll come with those cardboard liners or, like, super-safe titanium liners. With lasers.