The day we had to dig 80 post holes by hand in that old cemetery

Got a job about six years back to replace the fence around a small family cemetery out near the county line. The ground was so full of roots and old rubble that the auger on the skid steer just bounced right off. We ended up with five guys, two manual post hole diggers, and a whole lot of blisters over three days. What made it stand out was the quiet, you know? No machines, just the sound of digging and the guy from the historical society telling stories about the folks buried there. Anyone else ever get stuck on a job where the modern tools just wouldn't work?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerw8710d ago

Man, that sounds brutal. Honestly, I can feel those blisters just reading it. Tbh, there's something about those quiet jobs though, where you have to go back to basics. Makes you slow down and actually notice the place you're working in. The history guy telling stories would've been the only thing getting me through that third day. Sounds like one of those jobs that just sticks with you forever, for better or worse.

nathanburns10d ago

Totally get what you mean about those jobs sticking with you, @skylerw87. That "back to basics" quiet you mentioned is so real. I had a summer once clearing brush by hand at an old park. You're right, your brain just slows down and you start seeing all the little details you'd miss otherwise (like weird bugs and how the light comes through the trees). The blisters were awful but I still remember the smell of the dirt and pine. Those stories from the history guy probably made the whole thing feel way more important than just moving rocks.