By Gretchen Leigh

Most people would think my husband and I spent the weekend spreading dirt to prepare a nice foundation over which to reseed our lawn. However, that was not the case.

I’ve tried to create a home-beautiful lawn before and it’s a lot of work. The results are never as rewarding as the time and energy put into it. Lawns are subject to nature; the flaws of the land and the weather. No, our efforts weren’t for looks. We spread dirt in our backyard for the safety of our guests. Our yard was so uneven it was becoming an ankle breaking hazard.

It’s an old neighborhood, created in the mid-60s. When we were contemplating buying the house twenty something years ago, my husband noticed the ground was a bit lumpy and uneven, especially around the walnut tree. Now all these years later, that walnut tree has been gone a good ten years, we also removed a prickly holly tree, a root bound apple tree fell over on its own, and we’ve slowly taken out the suffering cherry and pear trees.

That’s a lot of roots wasting away underground making the ground sink around them. The moles had their way in our yard for many years, too. Their tunnels have created sunken areas so vast you can almost trace a couple of their more prolific mazes.

If you ever want to get a dog because someone told you they keep moles away, don’t believe it. I think moles snack on dog doo. I haven’t found Google proof of it, but when we re-homed our lab three years ago, the moles went away.

What I’m getting at, is parts of our yard have dramatically lowered since we moved in. I wanted to get a rototiller, dig it up, and level it out. The Home Depot guy and my husband talked me out of it. They both felt we should bring dirt in. My non-resident garden friend suggested just filling in the deeper holes. Not being happy with any of the answers, I acquiesced to my husband.

I called the dirt company and told them the dimensions of my property. He told me it would take a little less than two yards at two inches deep. Really? I was pretty sure neither he nor the Home Depot guy understood what I was telling them.

We weren’t talking about some fancy, new neighborhood where the ground has settled a bit. We were trying to convey something far more serious. We had potholes deep enough that when we called the dog in, she disappeared for a second before she reappeared as she crested one hole only to vanish into the next.

Not really sure how it was going to work out, my husband and I decided we’d just get one yard of dirt at a time so the task wouldn’t be overwhelming. We started the weekend before last at the back of the yard. It was like spitting in a bucket.

I had to stop after that first yard of dirt and pout a bit over the hopelessness of such a project. After the dust settled and I walked over that portion of the yard, I saw the sense in it. But two yards of dirt? Yeah, right.

This last weekend, we got four more yards; one yard at a time. After every load, we’d regroup and consider our options. Now after five yards of back breaking labor, we’ve almost filled all the holes. We probably need two or three more loads.

I look out over the expanse and all I can see is dirt. Basically our yard was one big pothole.

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing and her daily blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com, on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.”or follow her on Twitter @livewithgleigh. Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Lifestyles section.