Previously I've only been able to manage about an hour with the sledgehammer, after that I'm too tired to continue. But with frequent breaks I stayed at it all afternoon and got a whole lot done yesterday. First I broke up all the concrete that had fallen into the septic tank, and moved it to the truck. Three wheelbarrows full. Then I broke up the last slab. It was over the second compartment, which is really deep, so I think I can leave it down there and just cover it with dirt. After that I broke up the brick wall which separated the two compartments. The brick is in decent condition and I think we can use it somewhere, in a path or border.
You know how people who own old houses sometimes find things? Sometimes really nice things, like slate paths hidden under weeds or beautiful antique fireplaces behind walls. The woman in Under the Tuscan Sun found an Estruscan basin under her house. (She put the basin outside on her patio and used it as an ice bucket to serve wine when all her rich American friends flew over for parties. Which pretty well encapsulates why I hated that book.) Well I've never found anything nice in my house. Only bad things, like a big chunk of hardwood floor that was replaced with cheap ass wood that doesn't match. Or a built-in bookshelf installed on top of crappy wall to wall carpet. So I think it's kind of funny that I finally found something attractive and useful, and I found it inside the septic tank.
By the time all that was done, so was I. I was exhausted and also had to clean myself up for dinner with my friends P. and J. The whole time I was working, I was so careful about safety. Goggles of course, and always paying attention to my footing, making sure I was on stable ground, making sure that whatever I was about to smash couldn't fall on my leg, etc. Then when I was all done and putting up the caution tape, I tripped, turned my ankle and fell. (Does that count as ironic? I think that's ironic.) Thank god I fell away from the hole and landed on the driveway!
Today I'm sore all over, which I expected, but I'm also having trouble putting weight on my ankle. It's not swollen so I don't think I need to worry, just take it easy today. Georg is getting home today and I was planning to make a nice dinner, but I think grocery shopping and then cooking may not be a good idea. Well, I'll see how I feel in the afternoon.
Yeah, I keep thinking we're going to find something cool in our house, but so far it has also been all bad things! Missing hardwood floor, floor joists cut out like a jigsaw puzzle, stray pipes that don't go anywhere, etc.
for the ankle, the best things are elevation, staying off of it, and cold.
that totally sounds like something i would do :)