Day 83 October 23, 2001

The septic system guys ("the poo crew" I call them) arrive bright and early. The first dude greases the huge trac hoe and the three others arrive a little later. They lay out the system as I tie up loose ends. I trim the door opening in the basement, glue in the basement drains, pick up all the sharp stones and mortar so the poly vapor barrier that goes under the basement slab doesn't tear, install the basement window, remove the gable end brace, and clean the walkout area so the concrete crew has access tomorrow. The poo crew cuts down some trees, begins digging the trench for the main waste line, drills through the basement wall and begins laying pipe. They move along well until they hit ledge. What's ledge? Mountain. Hard rock even the huge hoe can't break up. What's that mean to me? $400 more for a jackhammer rental. Its only about 20 or 30 feet a foot or so deep, so it shouldn't be too bad. I tell the guys I'm glad I didn't want the house there. They put the 1000 gallon septic tank in the ground and call it a day at 5. Wimps! I start applying asphalt to my parged walls. This is a moisture barrier. Its called "damp proofing" because nobody will call it "waterproofing". I get three walls done and head to town to get PVC fittings before Post closes. Grab some pizza on the way home and work on the web site. See, I just wrote that sentence. 10 PM, Laurie should call soon. I'm off to bed.

11 hours, cloudy and warm around 70.