How It's Going: Looks Like We're Done...

....for this year, anyway. 

No, Castle Aaargh is not done.  But you knew that already, didn't you?

It sure does take a long time to throw a stone house together.  We're still going to do some more stone cutting and preparatory work, but I think we're going to be towing the old mortar mixer back to the machine shed for the winter.  

Carl trying to go faster with the stone cutting on Saturday afternoon.

  Though the weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous, we didn't run any more mortar this weekend since it takes up to three weeks (or more, depending on weather conditions)  to cure completely.   I've done some reading and there's some debate out there about cold weather masonry.   Some say the so-called 'magical temperature' the mortar should not be subjected to is less than 40 degrees before it's fully cured.   Well, we've had a few nights down below freezing already and the last thing we need is unsound mortar. The last mortar we ran was a week ago, so I hope we're ok with that stuff.  Ok, it won't be the end of the world if we have to chip it all out next year; just a shame, that's all.  Maybe we'll be lucky, but anyway, we've decided not to tempt fate.


There we were, on Saturday afternoon, working on cutting stones for the big pillar where the round window will go.  I was on the inside whacking rocks to size and shape with a hammer and chisel and Carl was doing some grinding. 

I sorta feel like we're abandoning the project, though rationally, I know better.  We'd put it on the back burner for so many years and it was a challenge to see how far we could get in a month and a half, but now the race has been called off and there's a bit of a let-down.   It's not like I don't have other stuff to do; the whole garden needs to be put to bed for the winter, I have bulbs to plant, apple trees to wrap up against rabbit damage, a garage and barn to clean up, a chicken coop to clean and winterize,  and if all that gets done, we still have the stone wall in the Formal Garden to finish up, too.  That's a dry stack wall, so no mortar to worry about curing.  Whoopdedo, what am I worried about?   I guess I won't be bored.

Ann and her daughter were here on Saturday afternoon to help for awhile, and Ann picked up the camera and took some candid shots of us in our Native Habitat.  See how she was stalking us from the trees?  We never know who's watching.

Dusty.............good thing Carl wears a mask. I was upwind, luckily.

Chipping away at rocks is slow-going work.  I wish I was faster at it, but it is satisfying in it's own way when the rock breaks the way you want it to.  Not so satisfying when it lands on your foot after breaking into two or more separate hunks, though.  

Whack away at a rock and then check the poor thing for fit, pick it up, and bang away some more, knocking off the bits that don't play nicely with the course of stone below.  (Just thought I'd throw in some technical terms in for good measure.) 

Our little dog, Pudding, is often lying in the sun, waiting for me to get done working.  On Saturday she wanted to go in just before sunset, and came to ask me if it was time to quit yet.  Pudding is a little bit camera shy, so Ann's photo was a great capture of our little eleven year old dog.  Pudding used to be Ann's dog before she came here to live with us almost three years ago, and we love her so, it's hard to remember a time she wasn't part of the family.

We worked right up until dark on Saturday night and then I started a campfire so we could cook a few hot dogs and call it supper.  We had company stop in right at dark, Richard and Emily and their adorable little girl, Courtney.

Richard and Carl examining the work so far.

Look who we put to work:

Carl handed Courtney a hammer and she was off to work.  Check out her grip!

First she had to examine the rock up close, looking for the best angle.

 She's working on her technique here........

(And yes, that's a real 20 ounce hammer!)

Look out rocks, we have another young rocker on the job now!

(Child Labor Laws are strict, but as long as we provide our youngest workers with a break for naps, we're not in violation.)


We ended Saturday night playing cards with our company.  I'm always beholding to anyone who stops in to see us; thank goodness they can overlook the mess our house is perpetually in.  We're spending so much time outside trying to get Aaargh done that I neglect to do much in the house we actually live in except cook meals (the slow cooker is a blessing) do dishes and sweep once a day.  Once the snow flies, I'll have plenty of work to keep me busy for another solid month just doing some deep-cleaning.  Not that I'm looking forward to it, mind you.  Growing up as a tomboy, I'm not thrilled with being indoors.


Just a few more views of the garden before I end up ripping it all up:

The River Bed--looking tired.

Formal Garden---Profusion zinnias and Victoria salvia still blooming

The Escarpment---mums still doing their thing

On top the Quarry Hill

The waterlilies are in need of cutting back and raking out of the puddle, but I leave them until just before the water freezes up so the fish have somewhere to hide from the herons that keep coming in for lunch. 

 Amur maple leaves....I'm having a hard time pruning this tree to any sort of shape, I guess I should have left well enough alone and let it stay multi-trunked.  It wasn't an expensive tree, but I think it's time I retire my loppers and leave the poor thing alone.  

The rudbeckias are still blooming, bless their hearts.  

The Inca marigolds are also looking happy in places.

'Sunkist' and 'Smaragd' thuja occidentalis with a miscanthus thrown in for good measure.

And finally, (yes there's an end in sight to this post) Chocolate Eupatorium providing a foretaste of the white stuff to come.  

Every time I walk by the eupatorium I feel happy, at least this is one chocolate that's not a no-no in my life.  

Time to face the music, Winter waits for no one.  

We gave it our best shot...now it's time to get all those pallets off the lawn and out to the Back Eight.  And we'd better find a tarp to cover up the walls.  There's always next year.  

(We can still whack a rock or two yet, though, before the snow flies.)
 

On Sunday afternoon it rained so we went bumming  to an honest to goodness Real Quarry, so stay tuned for that post. 

 A Granite Quarry....oh, be still my heart!