How unfirm a foundation

We're scared of our backyard. With good reason. Because everytime we square off, Us Against Dirt, dirt wins.

Both Blake and I helped in gardens as kids. But that was in Idaho where all you have to do to grow a garden is blow seeds off your palm and watch as the ground slurps them up and spits out bountiful baskets.

Arizona dirt is more stubborn. To grow a garden here you have to concoct a brew of gypsum, sulfur, steer manure, plant food and prayer. Stir it all together, add seeds and water and more prayer as a garnish. Then have faith in little seeds.

We're faced off with the ground again this spring and think we may be winning this round. Seeds are visible out there! Little bitty radishes and melons and cucumbers are peaking through that hard, caked soil. Hopefully we're getting the hang of Arizona gardening, just a little.

But just as we think we've gained the advantage we discover Dirt has, and has always had, the upper hand. Because it's literally eating our house.

Sulfates in the soil are causing our foundation to crumble. Come to find out, the developer of our subdivision could have prevented this damage by pouring higher-strength concrete with sulfate-resistant cement in our foundations. But they either chose not to incur the additional expense in this kind of cement, or chose not to test for sulfates to begin with. Either way we, the homeowners, are left with the repercussions.

To read more about our lovely predicament, click here.

Stupid dirt.

As if our house was worth anything before that even. Stupid failing housing economy.




(Can a face like that cause karate chop damage?)



(Oh yes, it sure can.)



You grow, little seedlings. Karate chop your way through that awful dirt. Tell it who's boss anyway.