Archaeologist Excavation - Help please

No clue what I'm doing wrong, but after quickly finding the tools and the archaeologist telling me to dig on the crumbly soil next to him, I could not make anything happen.  First, he didn't say which side and the message came up that I only briefly saw part of to "drag" the tools across the spot.  But the scene moves when I try to drag it, so at first I jabbed at one side for a while, then the other side of him for a while (minutes)...Nothing.  Then, I used my cursor to drag the spots to one side of the monitor screen and could drag the tools over the soil there for a while...Still nothing.  So, I dragged it to the other side and nothing.  What am I doing wrong?  It must be something anyone can do, since I have read the other forum comments on excavation and I know it takes a long time, but if nothing is happening at all (no sign I am excavating the ground at all), I finally sent my Hero home.  Too boring, too frustrating.  If I could tell I was actually doing something, I could probably stick with it a while, but not hours with my Hero in one place and me constantly having to move the cursor holding the tools back and forth.  I feel so stupid, cause I know it's something way simple.

You must drop the tools on the pile of dirt (which amongst other, has a shovel planted in it). There should be similar digging sites in your town or other quest locations. If you click on it there should be a popup (clicking does nothing until you get the tools)

Thank you, ty, ty, ty.  Of course, I still feel stupid as I knew those sand piles meant something.  But those instructions, realllllly?  When I'm told "crumbly soil," I don't think "sand."  And when it says "right next to me," I take it very literally--obviously.  But, other stuff I have no problems with, so I will just write "stupid" in very small letters on my hand and move on.

Maybe there was more to those instructions than the only word that registered:  "drag."  Literally, they were up one second while I was looking in my storage for the tools.  Then, disappeared and the archaeologist was no help at all.  LOL

where are tools was in cave do not see them