Rocking the new mailbox

We knew that something was needed to keep the dirt from washing away every time it rains.  We also knew that we wanted something that was fairly permanent, would stay put during rain and snow storms,  and was inexpensive.

In the past I have purchased my rocks at a local company and was always satisfied with the rocks I received from them.   So I decided that I would stop by to see the selection of rocks and decide if rocks were in the budget.

I knew I wanted something in the size range of river rock.  Larger than pea gravel and smaller than fist size.  They had an option called 4A Raw.  I have no idea what that means but it was $39 a yard.  Do I need a yard???  Would our S10 truck carry a yard of 4A Raw?  After speaking with a sales clerk we determined I needed 1/2 of a yard and the old S10 could carry it.

So for less than 20 bucks we have rocks for around the mailbox.  The rocks won't wash down the curb during the rain nor deteriorate away and need to be redone as would mulch.

We shoveled the stones around the mailbox to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.  But that didn't even put a dent into the pile of rocks in the bed of the truck.  So we decided to put the remaining rocks around the rosebushes that line the walkway to the kitchen door and edge the driveway.  This will requiring buying an additional 1/2 yard but we really like the looks of it, so far.  The light color of the rocks really show off the dark purple of the roses.  An added bonus is that it will keep the dirt from washing onto the walkway when we have a gully washer of a rain storm.

We ran out of steam about halfway through that project.  Luckily R had laid an old tarp in the bed of the truck and we were able to grab the edge of the tarp and pull the remaining rocks out of the bed of the truck.

Looks like the new rocks will get a little bath tonight when it rains.