The Pit

   "What is that?" curious neighbors have been asking us as they drive by our house.  "Are you all digging a well? A storm shelter?" they ask.  "Uh, err, it's um, a fort?" I answer.  But really, what I want to say is "It's the PIT of DESPAIR!"

 

 (The fort... aka Pit of Despair)

   It started out good, when my husband, Justin, decided to give me a precious moment alone for my birthday.  He took our three kids outside to play while I relaxed in blissful silence inside our house.  After a while I decided to go check on him and the kids.  And there it was.  A hole roughly 4 feet deep and 5 feet wide.

   "What are you doing?" I asked after coming out of a small state of shock.

   "Making a fort," he replied.

   "Wow, that's a big hole," I replied.  I listened to him describe how he'd make it look like it was just a brush pile, but the kids would know how to get inside to play in the fort.  It was a fun thought, but it was also a big hole in our yard.  A very big hole.  "We'll need to do something to make sure kids don't accidentally fall in if they're running around back here," I said... filling it in would be the perfect solution.  "I've heard horror stories about holes caving in on kids," I added. 

   I love my husband for his creative ingenuity and perfectionism.  Sometimes it's also my least favorite quality.  You see, it isn't enough to dig a massive hole and cover it up with some branches... no... you need to cement the floor, put up reinforced concrete board walls, a roof with trap door, oh and some French drains to redirect water.  This pit started to dig a small hole into our wallet with trips to Home Depot.  It was digging a hole into our time together.  And, must I admit? it was digging a hole in my patience!  

   But... the pit of despair, I mean fort, had already started.  Once started, my dear husband must finish.  OH! but all the things we COULD HAVE been doing with that time and money!  Like...

 (Note holes in wall, insulation falling down...)

 

Fix the well house!  But, you know, all it does it protect our water source, no biggy.  Don't you think a bunker is much more useful?  

 (the fort.... or storm shelter?)

I mean, if there is a tornado, we can all race out into the back yard and shimmy down into a moldy, spider-filled hole, yippy!  OR, we could just go into the basement and walk into our spacious crawl-space.  

 (Spacious crawl space)

We could have painted our kitchen cabinets, perhaps?  Nah, it's way more fun being retro.  And a pit will even add value to our house.  If we ever have to re-sell, we'll get plenty of offers when they read "4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a special pit out back."

There are at least 20 things on my list of things to build, fix, re-model around here... and let me tell you, the Pit of Despair was NOT one of them.

At least Justin has gained some good pit building knowledge for next time... wait, does anyone every build ANOTHER pit?  We've learned that you need to make the opening a bit larger, because unless you're five years old you have to do some pretty amazing maneuvering to squeeze in through the opening.  Which, by the way, is a problem if there is ever a tornado while I were pregnant.  

 (How can I fit my other leg?)

Also, the door is so heavy that, well, I'm sure you can come up with reasons why a very heavy door could be a problem when children want to play in the pit, sorry 'fort.'  

 (The cat is checking out the fort.  There is a fan down there to get rid of moisture.)

In the past, my Mom and Step-Dad shared some good advice, "Ignore 5% of what a person does," but we often joke that it should really be 10%... maybe more.  Well, if this is the 5-10% I need to ignore, then I'd say I probably have it pretty good.  Another good piece of advice my Mom gives to new brides is to "Keep both eyes open before marriage, and keep one eye open after."  Pretty smart to keep those eyes open beforehand to scrutinize and make sure you've made the right choice... but keeping one eye closed after is to not focus on faults but only have room to see the good.

I made the right choice.  My husband and I recently celebrated our 8 year anniversary.  I looked down towards the Pit of Despair with a sigh, and then a smile.  I love my husband; he is a good man - and this pit has given us a good deal to laugh about (cry at first, maybe, but now it's laughter).  He might have some wild ideas, but I'm pretty sure all husbands do ... am I right, ladies?

And now you know what the interesting roof is in our backyard.