I love dirt 'cause it's so delicious!

The title only works if you sing it. Go ahead, try it.

This past year our yard has changed dramatically. Every now and then Josue plays the video we made of the back yard when we first bought the house and let me tell you, the space is unrecognizable. The most recent project came about because our neighbors to the south decided to put up a fence around their property. That prompted the removal of the rest of our plum trees and a cement retaining wall that I'm not sure was even retaining anything anymore.

This past Sunday Josue started loading up the remains of the cement wall onto the trailer and Ben picked up my work gloves and asked me to help him put them on. He proceeded to pick up the largest chunk of cement/rock he could find and place them on the trailer. He worked quite a while at this and showed off some impressive bicep muscles. Soon enough the neighbor showed up and offered to load up the rest of the debris for us with his tractor. Who could pass up on offer like that? Ben got to watch the tractor work and then turned his attention to the yards and yards of freshly churned dirt. He had the time of his life doing face plants and falling on his behind. After a little while he came up to me and said "Mommy, shoes off?" So I pulled off his shoes and socks and he frolicked around some more. Soon enough he came up to me again and said "Change diaper?" I figured that was a good time to get out a bucket of warm water and rinse him off enough to bring him in for supper. There sure is no greater sight to see than a toddler turned loose on a field of fluffy dirt. I think this might have to be an annual event.

It's not much, but it's home.

Two months ago Traci and I purchased a house. It sits on a 50ft x 150ft lot in College Place and was built in 1947. The house was built as two separate homes, the downstairs is basically a one bedroom with a living room, kitchen and bathroom and the upstairs is two bedrooms with living room, bathroom, dining room and kitchen. The past several decades the house has been a rental and despite the many tenants that have called this house their home, it is in great condition.

Traci's Great Grandparent, (Paul & Ruby Starkebaum) were the first tenants to call this house their home. They had just moved from Nebraska in search of work but despite their great efforts they were faced with moving back east for more work opportunities. It wasn't more than a few years later that Paul was able to find work at Harris Pine Mills in Pendleton. They lived in Pendleton for several years before finding a job as janitors at the Village Church. At that time the Village Church met in the Village Hall at Walla Walla College. Once again they resided at this little house.

In the early 1970's Traci's dad lived downstairs during his time as a college student and has many stories from his younger days with his grandparents. A few things remain from the days when Paul & Ruby lived in the house; the grape vines have taken over the backyard and the apricot tree planted by grandpa Paul is beginning to show it's age.

The house is small, needs attention and we don't have a garage, yet living in a house with pages of family history is exciting, it brings happiness.