1.   Alec dug the earth around the bird bath, consecrating the burial ground with violets and pinwheels.

2.   But before bulldozers dig the earth, the archaeologists get their turn.

3.   Freshly dug earth for a redwood and a ginkgo delighted on that first real summer day.

4.   There was little dirty work to be done Tuesday, no earth to be dug, no heavy pipes to lay, no grating required.

5.   Digging the earth and building structures on the protected area are illegal.

6.   Very few tractors seemed to be working, while the farmers squat in the fields, digging the earth or pulling up weeds.