16 Comments
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Patty Dann's avatar

great piece and picture!

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Richard Goodman's avatar

I love how the picture makes me look competent.

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Darlyn Kuhn's avatar

Eagerly awaiting your sci-fi epic: Moon Dirt

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Richard Goodman's avatar

Just put me in touch with NASA. You're closer than I am.

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Darlyn Kuhn's avatar

Brad's college roommate and his wife are both NASA bigwigs. Get ready.

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Richard Goodman's avatar

Fastening my seatbelt.

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Judith Harmon Miller's avatar

You and dirt! What is it? That is where I met your writing: grounded, earthy, basic, authentic and nuturing. Judy

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Richard Goodman's avatar

What can I say? Some people like ice cream. Thanks for your good words, Judy.

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Ada Jo Mann's avatar

I see the connection in your title to your long ago memoir. You could have also called this French Drain which is what you really need to mitigate the water flow.

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Richard Goodman's avatar

You are very funny, Ada Jo Mann!

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Nancy Harmon Jenkins's avatar

Hard work, and harder as you get older. thinking of all those old folks who keep at it, kept at it, because they couldn't do otherwise. Thanks for this, Richard.

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Richard Goodman's avatar

I feel lucky, Nancy!

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Laura O'Keefe's avatar

A nice meditation on hard manual work, Richard.

BTW, try to avoid pissing off your new neighbor with the fence. I'm getting serious Tony Perkins vibes from your brief description.

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Richard Goodman's avatar

Haha. He had a great line in that movie, "A boy's best friend is his mother."

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olivier's avatar

Thanks for this story, Richard. The great reward of working outdoors! You look very athletic in the photos. No mention of blisters... Did you manage to avoid them? A recent endeavor involving a pick axe left my palms miserably raw.

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Richard Goodman's avatar

No blisters! Wasn't at it for that long. Just tired!

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