Hills of iron & copper

"...a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper." Deuteronomy 8:9

This is the one of the final two drains along the patio drainage system. Above you'll see the rock frame around the grate which was brought up 1-2" higher to avoid weight from other rocks. We chose rocks with irregular shapes to contour the drain pipe. Extra weight on top affects the grade of the slope; hence, defeating the purpose of even having a drain!

After a few more rocks (large and small), it's finished. Compared to the other drains, this rock area is quite a bit larger. We did this because we are not expanding the patio this far and the drain was so close to the house & retaining wall. It reminds me of a dry creek bed. Our intent is to plant grass around it.

Where did we get all the rocks? From the hills, of course! (Actually, from our front yard.) There certainly is no shortage of rocks in the soil. I am convinced you can grow rocks here!!

Listening to the rain

"Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God...onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony, and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster in abundance." I Chronicles 29:2
It's raining here in the NW. Imagine that! But what a great opportunity to show you the beautiful rocks we find in the dirt. When everything is wet, the true colors really come through. This is one of the drains we put in the patio. If you look closely, you can see water dripping off the end of the rain chain.

It took me nine months to realize this, but God still shows Himself in the rain. Sound funny? Let me explain. When we lived in KS, we got rain once in awhile. The thunder storms were incredible, to say the least. In fact, thunder storms are my all-time favorite weather phenomenon. To see the awesome, controlled, deliberate power of our Lord would certainly make me appreciate His grace and mercy.

Thunder storms have a beginning, a middle, and an end - just like watching a play performance. The rain in the NW has a hard time figuring out which act we're in. It seems to be perpetually caught in the first act. There is never any climax. Occasionally, I will hear bits of thunder and get all excited that we're moving on to the second act. Then I realize it was just an airplane! So, I settle back into my seat prepared for a long performance.

Since being in the NW, I have come to realize a longer play is OK. An anti-climactic play is OK, too. Not preferred, but OK. God still shows Himself from the treasures found in the dirt to the numerous bird calls to the long-lasting blooms that seem to be frozen in time.

Back to Work

"And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights." Genesis 7:12

We're not anticipating that kind of rain. However, we are getting the drains ready on the patio.


Breaking the stones allowed us to have smaller pieces which worked perfectly for the small areas around the drainage grates.

I wanted something to hide the grates without obstructing the flow of water coming off the rain chains. Since we have a never-ending supply, small rocks found in the dirt became the obvious choice. Works pretty good! I really enjoying seeing the contrast between the large flat stones and the small round rocks.

Back to the patio

"Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly." Job 8:7

Back to the patio. We still have a great vision for this project.

Even though we had more dirt to remove, we decided another raised bed would have to wait. For now, all the extra dirt was piled where the holly tree stood.

Up until now, the boundaries of the patio have been cut in roughly. It's time to be exact. We purchased a can of orange marking paint and went crazy marking the boundaries and high/low spots - digging out and adding dirt where necessary.

Next step: drainage from the driveway.

Using the backhoe saves us so much time now. Before the tractor, digging this trench would have taken several days, at least. The rocks in the soil would have given us quite the workout. However, Eric was able to dig it in just a few minutes. Every time we use the tractor, we are so thankful God allowed us the means to purchase it.


Tools of the trade: 100' length of drainage tube, connectors, junction boxes with grates



Looks good!!

A little diversion

"For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God." Hebrews 6:7

Hubby spent quite a few hours on this drainage ditch for the driveway slab - digging the trench, laying rock, ensuring the slope is just right.

This project was a must as the garage is at the bottom of a small hill in the yard. Water (and mud) sitting on our driveway was a regular occurrence.

He did a fantastic job! It works like a charm.

Avoiding a sloppy situation...

Hubby's latest project: diverting water from the low spots in the front yard.Keep it moving, folks.Let's take this around the corner.We thank you for your cooperation.