I mentioned last week that the excavators were having a hard time digging in the backyard because the frost was so thick. Last Wednesday they were here again, and gave it a go for a couple of hours before they threw in the towel. They told me I would have to either pay for them to use bigger equipment, or wait until the yard thaws. Money and time are the two things we have the least of these days, so I took a compromise of the two. I bought a 70,000 BTU diesel heater about 50 gallons of biodiesel and some visqueen to make a little tent where they need to dig. I spent the weekend heating the ground to get it nice and supple for them this morning. Luckily the weather was on our side too, and it got up to the mid 40's both Saturday and Sunday. With any luck they will have it all dug by noon today, and the concrete guys will be able to start pouring the footing. Cross your fingers and stay tuned. Total cost of heating a backyard, about $300.