The Great Wall of . . . . . Virgo?

Before the Work Begins

So, what do you do when no amount of water can green a sloping lawn in Colorado and you are a fit, young, do-it-yourselfing engineer who is familiar with landscaping? Rent heavy equipment and order 10 tons of rock, of course! Thus the story begins and ends all in one weekend. We had been pondering this water-wasting situation for years and waiting for the right moment and ideas to pop into our heads, and out of the blue, Ryan was ready to take it on. I mention this because one truth that I have discovered of late is that no amount of blatant nagging nor subtle hinting can motivate an independent man. He is his own being and will do it and do it well when the time comes. Another interesting learning moment came when several Virgoan men crawled out of their cozy homes just to be able to play in a pile of large rocks (and help a neighbor), in the rain no less! (So thank you friends). Some things never change from toddler to adult: stubbornness and the allure of buiding materials. So, yes we have an enviable wall that looks natural and not overly wrought (our preferred aesthetic), complete with a swale that will capture rain water from the limited precipitation we do get. I must mention that neighbors from all along Virgo stopped in passing to comment, congratulate and praise the work ethic of the man we call Sanders. Furthermore, and lending to his new superhero status, the entire weekend produced record torrents of rain and hail, with little reprieve. There were moments when Ryan and his trusty shovel had to create safe channels for waterflow despite the lightning and psychotic rain. I will be the first to admit that I did very little other than cheerlead and anticipate all of the new places for installing xeric plants. As the finish work is completed, I will update with more photos. Enjoy! Almost Done!