The stonework continues. All of the render has been chipped off, and some (well, most) of the big stones around our front door and windows have been replaced. Many of them had been badly repaired so many times over the years they were in sad shape, and not stable enough to hold the new hinges and shutters. Once the new stones were in place, the guys moved on to the next project, the giant pillars at our entry. I was a little sad to see the beautifully worn stones replaced by brand new, sharp-edged rectangles, but I know these will fade and soften with age and stand sturdily in place for another hundred years or so.

The gate was refurbished and painted grey to match our doors and windows. The metalworker did a good job with the renovation, keeping some of the dented ruggedness of the old metal when he could, and even replacing some missing curly bits at the top. We had found the original gate bell in the old mailbox, so he put that back in place too.

We wanted to move the mailbox from the gate to the wall, so that meant a portion of the wall had to be partially dismantled and rebuilt. The wall has been strengthened in places as some of the stacked stones were loose and needed mortar.

The narrow road that runs by our house was a two-way street in years past, and as the house sits right on the road, one corner of it had been damaged by a collision with a large truck. Fortunately, the road was changed to one-way years ago and now that cars must slow down to make the turn, it doesn’t seem likely that we will have any more problems on that corner.

Spring is coming.

We entrusted our large backyard to a local couple who are experts in local landscapes. After consulting with them a few times to give them our likes and dislikes, they came up with a simple plan. It’s been fun seeing what things are popping up here and there.

And, as of this morning, we have 12 asparagus spears. We’re resisting the urge to cut them and will let the plants grow and strengthen for next year.