We got diverted this week by the rotten sills Ben discovered on the back side of the house, a potentially disastrous mess. Mess replaced them in two days. This is a turning point for us, it concludes the work on the outside and guts of the house. The new Pole Barn. Replacing the shattered barn windows. Knocking down the old collapsed barn. Replacing the wiring in the barn. Restoring Maria’s Schoolhouse Studio – floors, walls, ceilings, holes, rot. Getting a new chicken coop. Putting up fences for the sheep, donkeys. Upgrading the electrical service, replacing the galvanized steel tubing in the basement, unclogging and replacing drains and the toilet, fixing the heavily damaged slate roof, repairing some of the broken shutters, taking off wallpaper, plastering and painging.

Inside, we need to replace outlets, put in a bannister upstairs, sister a broken beam in the attic, tear out some baseboards. Then we are out of money and time – winter is here and we need to get to work, and to live our lives here. Ben has been nothing short of heroic and we are so grateful for his sill, integrity, good humor and generous spirit. One of the best people I’ve ever worked with, and I think he will accept the Kindle Fire I’ve ordered for him for the holidays. We haven’t had a second’s difficulty over anything, and that is saying a lot. Tomorrow he comes inside and in a week or so, he will be done.