Empty spaces

Just in case you were wondering, here's what $355 worth of junk removal service will get you:



(A big yellow patch of grass?)

Anyway, we got some weather suitable for digging and attacked the trench in the back yard for a couple of hours. While the War Department systematically dismantled the fence so we could access the side yard, I was digging carefully around the downspout, being careful not to crack the clay tile. As I scraped up a load of debris, a clump of earth fell away from beside the downspout, revealing this:



Apparently, the previous owners of the house preferred Becel over I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Who knew?

I'm still not entirely sure what the former tub of margarine was doing there, but it seems to have been put to use as some sort of makeshift gasket between two portions of the clay pipe.

Anyway, I'd post a picture of the trench in its current state, but by the time I finished digging for the day, I couldn't lift my arms. You'll just have to wait.