The "Home" Team

Well, the broken gate remains in a broken state but is out of the way, at least. That sympathetic repairman did arrive and he and his helper removed the gate from the bottom hinge and placed it to the side. We're waiting on an estimate to fix it which requires constructing a legitimate post on which to mount it with legitimate metalwork to support it. If we involve a stone mason (because we choose the option to reconstruct it within the stone pillar and have to rebuild the pillar), that will automatically raise the price about $5,500. So...we're going with Plan B where they will construct  posts right behind the pillars, leaving them intact. Like I said, we're waiting for the estimate.

Meanwhile, we have had the gutters cleaned and the driveway regraded as we prepare for winter and rain. So far though, the weather has been pretty nice through October and here we are, in November, and it's still quite pleasant. Temperatures have fallen and we get to the high 40s during the daytime. Chilly, but fresh. The leaves won't stay on the trees much longer.

John has been home the past week and will remain for this week as well as payback for his two consecutive weeks of travel. Finally, he got to experience the "call of the wild" when he took Zoe out for her o'dark thirty duty call this morning. The coyotes were partying and yipping up a storm in the woods. And when some rustling started in the bushes at the edge of the clearing that passes for our lawn, he and the Z-dog retreated to the house. It's an eerie sound they make.

I have a massage scheduled for this morning and then I hope to spend the rest of the day focused on completing a quilted wall hanging. I have the applique done and it's on to adding the borders, building the layers,and then quilting it all together. I'll put some soup on to simmer so dinner will take care of itself later. John is working on putting the gutters on the shed and that will be his project du jour.

It's going to be a busy week at work for me. Having John here will be nice. It has been nice. As you can see from all the "maintenance" that was done, there's a fair amount of householding that is better accomplished when there is someone available to manage that. Harder to do when juggling work/home schedules and demands on my own and remotely. Go Team Grant!