My GI Doctor’s Office Called and Four Loads of Bama Dirt Pro Mix Arrived

March 31, 2026

On Monday (March 30), my GI doctor’s office called. As I guessed from looking at the test results, my gallbladder has to be removed. He is referring me to a general surgeon. I don’t know when I’ll hear from the surgeon’s office. I hope it will be soon.

The driver for the Bama Dirt company called at 8:00 AM. He was on the way to pick up a load of dirt at the company. He expected to be at Blackberry Homestead around 9:00 AM.

The dirt is a lot better dirt than the previous Pro Mix deliveries. It made me wonder if they changed up their mix or if they just got better topsoil to mix with the compost and sand.

We walked around and looked at plants.

Here’s the dump truck dumping the third load.

I am glad the ground was dry. The truck would’ve sunk in the clay and made a real mess of the yard. The truck just made tire tracks on the grass.

Here’s all four loads dumped.

While I was looking at the dirt, I could see the peas grabbing on to the netting.

While the dirt was being delivered, I completely weeded the flower beds out front. I discovered fire ants in the flower gardens. They weren’t there yesterday, so how did they spread so fast? I am guessing I didn’t disturb them before.

After the dirt delivery, Bruce got a text from the Walmart pharmacy saying his prescriptions were ready. He rode the motorcycle to pick up his prescriptions and get some groceries.

While he was gone, I shoveled dirt into bed D6. This bed’s level had dropped significantly. The Lowe’s bagged “topsoil” had composted down. This was hard work, I was exhausted when I was done. I sat down and rested.

Bruce got back while I was resting. I helped him unload the motorcycle and put away the groceries. After the groceries were unloaded, he rode his motorcycle to the barn and put it away. The barn acts as a garage for the motorcycle.

Bruce wanted shepherd’s pie for dinner to use up the leftovers from the lamb roast. Bruce asked me if there was anything he could do to help. I said, “Yes, you can make the mashed potatoes. You’ll need five russet potatoes.” He asked if the potatoes should be riced or mashed with the masher. I told him to rice the potatoes.

Bruce was pleased with the mashed potatoes. I agreed, they were fluffy and tasted delicious. I got to work slicing and dicing the vegetables and meat. I created a roux and sautéed the onions, celery, and mushrooms. I added the finely chopped garlic and gave the mixture a few stirs. I added enough water to cover the vegetables and then a bit more. I added the carrots, red potatoes, and lamb cubes to the pan. The water barely covered them. I turned the oven on to preheat.

I let the vegetables cook until they were tender. The water cooked down and made a nice gravy. The pan came off the stove. I spread the fluffy mashed potatoes over the lamb and vegetable mixture to create a crust. The pie went into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After baking, I turned on the broiler and browned up the mashed potatoes. Bruce came to “help” me take out the pie. He really came to drool over the pie. I told him we had to wait for the pie to cool for five minutes. He set a timer!

Bruce loved the pie and ate two servings. He said “I know I am eating more than I should, but it is so good.” After the second serving, he mentioned wanting a third one, but he wasn’t going to get it because that would be just too much.

We had a pretty sunset.