Is This Dirt Safe To Eat?

A couple weeks ago, a pretty woman showed up in a beater car, asking if any campsites were available. Krystal looked about 40 years old, but I’m not great at judging people’s ages. She told me later that she is almost 41, so I did good this time. I showed her the only spot that hadn’t been taken yet and urged her to be careful when parking, because of her low-hanging muffler and bumper. She got parked alright and set up a tent. There were a teenage girl and teenage boy with her, plus a 2 year old boy named Robert. A fat, little Chihuahua named Beautiful would bark at me, whenever I came around. Her whole head would twist all over when she barked. But she was all bark and no bite.
Krystal and the kids had so much fun, they asked if they could stay another night. Then another, then another. Luckily, there was space available, because of a couple campers cancelling. Little Robert took a shine to me and so did the dog, Beautiful. I spent an hour or two each day with the family. The kids look Hispanic, but Krystal is white. I never asked about the kids’ dad. They would spend their days on short hikes and swimming in the cold water. They also liked to watch the tree cutters each day, who had to climb nearly 200 feet up the trees for cutting off all the branches. Food was a big part of each day, Krystal was cooking a lot and the kids were eating a lot. She and Robert were thin as a rail, but both teens were overweight, especially the girl. She brought over food for me a couple times and I spent time chatting with them each day. She rarely eats meat herself, but would cook it for us.
Krystal admitted she had been a drug addict much of her life, but said she is clean now and even quit cigarettes awhile back. Her bad habits started during her childhood in West Virginia. She does vape pot sometimes and struggles with alcoholism. But didn’t bring either with her on this camping trip. I asked if she wanted any books to read, but she said she basically quit learning much after the third grade. She talks a mile a minute, but does listen closely when I talk. She has been on workers comp for 3 years now, due to an on-the-job knee injury. After several surgeries, the doctor now wants to replace the ACL in that knee. I can see that the injury bothers her often, but she is still the most energetic of the family.
They had never been camping in this area before and just happened to find my campground, while exploring. When it came time to leave, Krystal promised to come back soon and even asked if there was anything she could pick up for me in the big city. She seemed the highly impulsive type, so I figured a 50% chance that I’d see her again. They live in Tulare, which is 2 hours away. But, a week later the family showed up again, minus the teenage girl and with another little dog named Princess. Once again, they were lucky enough that someone had cancelled last minute, so they got a campsite for 3 days. There had been a big thunder shower a couple hours before they arrived, so everywhere was muddy. But it dried up the next day.
I ate with them a couple times, sharing some of my food, too. This time, the temperatures were 25° cooler, so no swimming. Krystal hiked many miles with her kids and dogs, sometimes having to carry a dog or little Robert. She found a stick that worked as a cane to help her, when her knee got too sore. I’m glad she isn’t the clingy type, wanting a lot of attention, because I have my job to do. But she would check on me every 2-3 hours, to see how my day was going, and give Robert and Beautiful a chance to get a few minutes of my attention.
She did have a weird request for me, she wanted to borrow a small shovel for getting some soil samples around the campground. I asked what they were for and she said that she likes to eat dirt at times, has done so her whole life. She demonstrated on some regular brown dirt. She asked me if the red clay was okay to eat, because she had never tried that before. I said that I didn’t have a clue. She claimed her habit wasn’t harmful and was just an occasional special treat. When she returned the shovel, she had a couple quart sized baggies full of dirt. At least that habit isn’t expensive. Unless it requires a trip to the doctor.
I mentioned that my weekend would start in a couple days and that I planned to go down to Porterville for buying supplies and to have some fun. Krystal tried to get me to come to Tulare instead and be with them for those two days. But I don’t want to get involved with someone totally a mismatch for me. I’m really not even looking for dates with anyone, much less anything beyond that. I suspect that she sees how well I get along with her kids and dogs, and that I’m a good person; and thinks that I would be a step up from her usual type, despite the age difference. But maybe she just likes my company and isn’t thinking anything other than that. Either way, I really want to spend time alone on my days off. I have a list of things to buy and do, while in Porterville; and don’t want to squander my precious free time. And she did say that they will come back to the campground again soon. Probably for more dirt. I meet the most interesting people!