Dirt Cheap?

Dirt cheap? I really don't know where that phrase comes from.

Last time I checked, this earth we live on had lots of dirt. It isn't like it is hoarded by anyone or there is a black market for it. But if you want some? Well, that is another story.

For one thing, and I bet you never thought of it quite this way, dirt is sorta dirty. Therefore, it isn't something you really want flung onto your car upholstery. Secondly, it's sort of heavy. So now there is only one option. Dirt delivery. Whoever it is that delivers the dirt has to charge for that, hence my questioning the phrase "dirt cheap."

But why does anyone get to charge for dirt? I can understand paying for the labor to deliver the dirt, but did they pay for the dirt? At what point do you just get to dig up dirt for free? Anyway, I digress. So now you have to order dirt. The commoner, unfamiliar with the global dirt consumer market, would just call and ask for "dirt." Kind of like going into Starbucks and just asking for "coffee." Much like ordering at the 'Bux, you have to know what size, what you want mixed in, etc. And much like Starbucks, extra stuff costs...extra.

For example, if you want minimal rocks in your dirt, it's extra. If you want garbage and old rotted things (compost) mixed into your dirt, oh yeah, extra. If you want animal crap mixed into your dirt (cuz you know that's going to smell good), that is even more. So, at the end of the day we were the proud recipients of 10 cubic yards of "2-way" topsoil (the "3-way" or "5-way" topsoil sounded a bit kinky for our suburban front yard). The website calls it a nice all-purpose soil with a higher soil content. What this means is beyond me.

More to come as our project is completed.