Digging In

Hauled that cast-aluminum trowel down off the deck boards straight into the hard clay beneath the steps. Dug the scooped edge deep into the packed dirt to carve out a low dugout. Two hard thrusts in, the metal blade hit something stubborn with a sharp clink. I leaned my full weight onto the wooden grip, levering upward until the dirt gave way and popped loose a heavy, flat river stone caked in dry silt. Didn't bend the aluminum neck at all. I shoved the flat stone upright against the dirt wall to serve as a low barricade. Billy would probably try skipping it into the neighbor's hedge, but down here it makes solid cover.