QUOTES!

This little essay is about a quote I'VE always used. It's not a famous quote because; I'M not famous. It's just something, I guess that I'VE had to do, and I imagine many others will have to do at some point. The quote is this; "EVERY MAN MUST DIG A DITCH AT SOME POINT IN HIS LIFE". Granted that's not a very profound thing to say, but, I'M reminded of all the various ditches I'VE dug in my life. I'M not talking about using a BACKHOE; I'M talking about using a PICK, SHOVEL, and/or HOE. Let's see I'LL list here, I don't know why, all the various ditches I'VE dug, plus some ditches others have dug which were pretty impressive to me. One ditch I'VE dug that really impressed me or that I'M particularly proud of, was a ditch for the foundation of our driveway bridge of our house on SARAHILLS CT in SARATOGA, CA. I dug that ditch as payment for wrecking my DAD'S 67 ALFA ROMEO GUILLA SPYDER when I was only fourteen or so. Remember MILKO GOES FOR A JOY RIDE! Well, I still haven't fully paid for that one. Oh my dad thinks I have, but that was such a great car that'll NEVER be the same. So, how can one fully repay something like that? I guess just having to live with the guilt of doing such a selfish, stupid thing is payment enough. But anyhow, another ditch, which I'M pretty proud of digging, was for FRENCH DRAIN I put in above the parking lot for my DENTAL OFFICE. There was an underground spring that went under or through the basement of our LINCOLN WAY house where my DENTAL OFFICE was built onto the side of. There was also a large amount of water, which naturally flowed through the ground where the parking lot was eventually put. In order to prevent water from flowing off the surface of the parking lot into the house probably flooding the basement, which already flooded every time it rained a lot, a FRENCH DRAIN needed to be put in to redirect the water. So I dug this, placing perforated drainage pipe in the ditch along the top of where the parking lot was to go. Then allowing regular drainpipe in the rest of the ditch. Eventually allowing the ditch to surface out in the middle of where the front lawn was to go. This set up worked fairly well. Oh the basement still floods whenever it rains hard but the SUMP PUMP in the floor of the basement takes care of that.

One more ditches, which I'M fairly proud of also, that doesn't get used anymore. Is the ditch for my sign that told of my business as a GENERAL DENTIST. The sign itself is gone now, taken by the guy who bought my practice, even though it didn't say anyplace in the sale contract that he was purchasing the sign. I mean it was ok for him to have his name painted on the sign. However, I bought, paid for, and put that sign in the ground myself. The sign itself now has his name on it announcing his business, and is still on LINCOLN WAY. And so now when I drive by it and see it, I can get all nostalgic knowing the history of that sign and how it proves my quote that at least, THIS man dug at least one meaningful ditch.

Now let me tell y'all about a very big ditch, my brother GREGOR/SLOPEYE dug. It was to hold the foundation wall of our house on SARAHILLS CT. This particular house had one big long wall foundation then about five to seven large redwood timbers or stilts supporting the rest of the house. The house being built on the side of a hill. Each redwood stilt was sunk into concrete in the ground. These concrete piers were such that they went straight down into the ground, with the concrete widening out underground. Thus holding them in the ground solid. This had to be a fairly deep wall, I imagine, and I was very impressed that my older brother and one of his friends dug this ditch with only a PICK AXE, and SHOVEL. Well, all this writing about digging ditches is making me tired. So, I think I'LL stop and go take a nap. G'day!