October 2019: Dirty work

Creating a loan from mud a lawn and remembering a great college intramural team. They're both "dirty work."

The exterior of our new home is a plain of clay. When it is wet, it sticks to everything; I had two inches of mud on my soles the first time I foolishly attempted to transit the mud. When it is dry, it creates a fine, red dust that would make Georgia proud and makes our garage and basement a little dust bowl. We have our final meeting with the landscaping firm at noon today. The plan at the moment is for a small patio in the rear, edging, and a lush, green lawn. Major work likely to happen after April 2020.

"Dirty work" was also the name I had on my t-shirt for our intramural basketball team named after that great yet not-well-remembered band, Steely Dan. Steely Dan was a bit out of the mainstream in the early 70's but true music aficionados appreciated their style. And team members chose titles of Steely Dan songs and 'Dirty Work' was an east choice for me. I loved the music and the lyrics -- "Times are hard, you're afraid to pay the fee, so you find someone who's willing to do the job for free." And, "I'm a fool to do your dirty work, I don't want to do your dirty work no more." The horns, the melancholy tone, the refrain, the message stuck with me as a 21-year old.

Give it a listen. If the embedded link above does not work, paste this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGiDbIVhgkM