The spousal unit and I have certain rites of spring which have been going on for as long as we've lived in this house. That would be over 30 years now.

Among them has been our battle over the rocks.

The rocks are a series of huge boulders that run parallel to our home. You have to drive past them to get to our place and they really are amazing. Thing is, they blend into the woods and are pretty much invisible because they are overgrown with ferns, raspberries and small trees.

We originally chose the site of our home because we were so taken with these rocks. It has always driven me mental that we haven't done anything to bring them to the forefront.

Every spring I point out to the spousal unit that we have the equivalent of massive free sculptures right beside our house. Every spring he responds that it is part of nature to reclaim everything AND MY GAWD, WOMAN, WE'RE NOT BUILDING A PARK HERE.

Yet, hope springs eternal. So again this week I raised the subject of the rocks. I wasn't hoping for anything big, but hey, the worst he could do was refuse me, right? To my utter shock and amazement, he said we could try uncovering one rock to see how it looked. If he liked it, well, negotiations could be ongoing.

So we chose the rock I see when I stand at the kitchen sink. As you can see, it was a pretty unremarkable blob of ferns. I didn't think of the issue of scale when I took this picture, so of course unless you've been here, you have no idea how big this rock is.

Well, here is the spousal unit on it partway through the project. He's about 6'2" tall.

And here is the ta-DAH moment.

While it may have looked effortless, it took over eight hours to get this rock uncovered. It not only involved a lot of hand work with shovels. Oh, no, there was also a tractor and winch involved because there were small trees to remove from the back of it. I've got quite a few hours in there with a hose and brush, too.

The good news is that he's completely sold on the rock project. Both of us are taken with all the texture this rock exhibits. We're pretty sure the others will be as interesting. That's the good news. The bad news is that there are quite a few rocks involved.

Oh, man.

Fortunately, it's raining cats and dogs today, so neither of us is heading outside to scramble up and down boulders dragging shovels, hoes, brooms, hose and/or winch cable and chains.

But tomorrow night? I foresee many, many evenings of clambering up and down boulders.

Here at MarnCo, the ruthless multinational behind The Big Adventure, this experience is viewed as a cautionary tale. The moral?

Be careful what you wish for. Your wishes may come true.

--Marn