Growing up, I spent a lot of time digging in the dump in my parents' backyard. It's back in the woods a bit, over by the garden, and was the place the homeowners dumped all their garbage (and their children dumped their silverware) for quite a few years. It was burned once at least, since we found melted chunks of glass, and the creeks are chock full of interesting tidbits of long-ago lives.
We found all sorts of things. Bottles, pieces of broken dolls, silverware--including a sterling silver fork, shards of pottery--some of which I was able to put back together, carnival glass, and so much more. It was really an educational experience for me, growing up. It kind of made me want to become an archeologist, too, but I wanted to be an Indiana Jones-style archeologist.
My dream was that when I found a house, it would have a similar dump in the backyard, so I could dig to my heart's content. So you can imagine that when I saw the rock pile in my backyard, I immediately suspected that it might be the site of a long-ago dump. I dug a bit with no luck, and only ended up finding a couple of marbles in the front yard while digging out the spot for the lemon balm.
I was a bit disappointed. I mean, people don't realize what could be under the ground they walk on, and I wanted so badly to find a treasure trove of something. (Or even not a treasure trove. At least enough broken pottery to do a mosaic on the hearth in the dining room and maybe a bottle or two.)
Today, while exploring the hillside with Dad, I found my first shard of pottery. That doesn't mean there will be more, especially on my property, since in 1904 the owners of this house owned the whole block, but it's a start, and makes it more likely that I might find even more once the ground thaws a bit more.
I do have a stone wall to unearth over there, so who knows what might lie beneath or beside it?
But at least I know that there might be something underneath it all. And I will have a chance to find out just what that hillside is hiding as time goes on. :)
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