One of our recent projects related to preparing the house for sale was laying sod in the front yard. At 7:30 one cool Friday morning the sod delivery man unloaded seven moist one-ton pallets of what looked like mammoth red-and-green burritos into our driveway. We had already tilled up our front yard, but it needed some more prep before we could actually lay the sod. We picked out rocks and weeds and raked it smooth, and finally...we were ready to get started.

There are many steps involved in laying a piece of sod. First, you have to figure out the pattern of how the sod farmer loaded the rolls of sod in their different directions, so you can remove the right ones first. Otherwise you end up trying to pick up one that has its end under another one, and you either tear the sod or are unable to remove it from the pile. Another note on this one: the rolls are heavy so a lot of us ended up having to hold them up against us to move them to the cart (first coat of mud to arms and shirt).

Second, you have to transport the slimy roll of sod to the right place. At first we used a hand-truck and a wheelbarrow for transportation, but after a little while we got smart and used the tractor and cart.

Third, you unload the mushy roll, put it where it goes, and roll it out, crawling after it (coat of mud to skirt or pants). This is the fun part. Then you have to interface it to the adjoining pieces of sod so that it is as snug as possible but with no overlap.

Lastly, you drag a roller over the sod.  Mare was our expert roller horse, walking back and forth behind the roller (if that isn't putting the cart before the cart).  As I watched her, I could just tell she was having fun, and doing a good job.

And then you repeat. And do it again. And again. We were starting to make some progress, and get together a sort of relay line of loaders and unrollers. The sun was coming out. I looked at the row of pallets on the driveway...we had used a third of one pallet. This was going to be a big job.

At about 10:30 Grandaddy drove up to the busy scene. We brought him a chair to sit in, but he wanted to help us instead. Thank you for your help and bits of humor, Grandaddy; it was fun to work with you.

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At about 7:30 we were almost done. Everyone's front was covered with red Virginia clay – not just splashed or smeared, but covered; you were doing well if there was still some fabric showing. Dad and I drove out to the nearby Giant to get some dinner while the rest of the family finished up the last of the sod, and it really was funny to see the looks we got from some of the other customers.

And we were done with the sod. Except that it all had to be water several times a day for the next two months.

Oh, and by the way, enjoy the painting pictures as well. That was another exciting October project.