Favorite Things Monday: Stone Masonry

June 25, 2007

Every once in a while, I long for a job that requires physical labor. I dream of leaving my cushy desk job to pursue carpentry, landscaping, or my favorite fantasy job — masonry, specifically stone masonry. Perhaps it’s the quilter in me, but I love building something beautiful out of small ordinary items. I love the process of selecting the next piece, and of moving pieces around until the colors and shapes blend just right.

The problem is: while I’d love being a professional mason, the business would fail horribly. I’d spend way too much time standing back and squinting at the job, and my projects would take forever to complete. And as I discovered this weekend, I do not enjoy horizontal stone projects.

First stop — Saturday evening — the entire clan of Wifey’s gay sisters (there are now 4 out of 4 on that side of the family) plus partners (me & one other) gather to install a small flagstone patio in my step-father-in-law’s teeny Boston backyard. Yes, that makes 6 lesbians, one small urban backyard, several shovels, dirt, stones, one tamper, and several tattoos. [stop drooling] With little or no drama, a couple hours later, there was a patio. We still have to buy and plant a truckload of irish moss to fill in the space between the stones, but that’s a project for another weekend. Even without the moss, it’s pretty.

Next stop — Sunday — It’s 10am and I’m already bored. All spring, we’ve discussed putting a stone patio underneath our pergola, but haven’t had the time or inclination. Yesterday, for whatever reason, we decided to install the patio. I started digging and Wifey drove off in search of stones. We dug and leveled and toiled and measured and arranged and re-arranged. Many hours later, Wifey went back out for 4 more stones, and I was left to work on leveling everything. Perhaps I was sun-fried, but I could not get the stones level. Under any circumstances. It was horrible. After an hour, I nearly threw myself on the stones. Luckily Wifey came home, sent me inside with Tylenol and Diet Pepsi, and Little Man asked me to play with blocks (mainly I just laid on his bed, moaned, and encouraged his castle building). While I wallowed, Wifey finished the job. We still need to move the excess dirt and plant a flat of creeping thyme that will grow the fill the space between the stones, but for now, I keep standing back and staring. Isn’t it pretty?

Perhaps I’ll stick to vertical stone masonry from now on. Anyone need a retaining wall?

* if you’re interested in our veggie garden, there are tons of new pictures in my Flickr garden set.

Entry Filed under: Favorite Things Monday, Gardening, It's All About Me, Ms. 1890, Xifey. .

19 Comments Add your own

1. Cetta | June 25, 2007 at 11:55 am

Beautiful!
2. Lisa | June 25, 2007 at 12:25 pm

Wow, all those lesbians working together and no one got hurt. I’m impressed. The tattoo is most impressive too! Makes all of mine look very delicate and girly….

You can come help me with stones any time, as Wifey has no patience to work with me on that…..so I’m ususally on my own.

Sorry that you overdid it, that sucks, but the second patio looks great too!
3. Danielle | June 25, 2007 at 1:10 pm

Wow! You are superwoman. Well, superwomEn … all of you!
4. roro | June 25, 2007 at 1:32 pm

Amazing!! Your weekend sounds exactly like my weekend, only replace “laying flagstone” with “watching tv”!! It’s like we have a hive mind!!

Seriously, woman - where do you get your energy?
5. Beth S. | June 25, 2007 at 1:39 pm

Wow! I had no idea that laying down flagstones was such hard work!
6. Leah | June 25, 2007 at 2:26 pm

You guys are amazing. I always think I get a lot done in a weekend, not nearlt as much as you guys do. My backyard was paved ove by the previous owner(how sad), I want to build a stone patio out there and put in raised beds. Where did you get the stone? How did you level it? I was thiniking of making a raised area for the patio too. In your opinon should I use sand? When can i sign you up to help? Hope all is well….
7. Suzanne | June 25, 2007 at 4:26 pm

Lovely on both counts! One of our flagstones has lifted out of the path, and I managed to scrape my toes yesterday. Sounds like I need to take a page out of your notebook. No tats though; I guess it will still work.
8. Katy | June 25, 2007 at 7:56 pm

Hey, I’d love a stone wall or two…right after you finish stripping the wallpaper in my guest room.
Your patio looks lovely.
9. Mel | June 25, 2007 at 11:42 pm

Oh do we ever need a retaining wall. Or three. Plus a patio. And steps up our hillside.

We can pay in beer.
10. PainterWoman | June 26, 2007 at 12:38 am

Wicked gorgeous… both sets of stones. And thyme will be more aromatic than Irish moss, for sure. Glad that there was a “level-head” who could prevail upon the dirt.
11. PatchesMom1973 | June 26, 2007 at 11:02 am

wow - that is really something. You guys are really talented. I’m envisioning a harvest table type-thing under the pergola.
12. Kim | June 26, 2007 at 1:33 pm

Actually, we need a fence in our backyard, but we’re considering masonry because it won’t rot like the current fence (leaning at about 30 degrees…
13. Emily | June 26, 2007 at 4:24 pm

So jealous. Need a patio. Have the stones, just not enough motivation. Your’s is beautiful!!!
14. Lucia | June 26, 2007 at 5:26 pm

We actually do need a retaining wall, or two, but we were thinking in terms of wood rather than stone. Although stone is awfully pretty.

For years I’ve had a fantasy of a garden surrounded by a stone wall with seats built into it. I understand that stone walls are hideously expensive.
15. Pippi | June 27, 2007 at 6:46 am

Yes, that makes 6 lesbians, one small urban backyard, several shovels, dirt, stones, one tamper, and several tattoos.

Now, that; that sounds like a party!

Stone work is so much fun, and very gratifying! It looks great!
Good job!
16. Rhonda the Stitchingnut | June 27, 2007 at 9:36 am

Patio looks great!

But I want that hammock … oh how nice it would be to laze away a summer day in a hammock.
17. Cynical Knitting Gal | June 27, 2007 at 11:46 am

Fabulous! I love the idea of community working together toward a common goal…a patio under a pergola for a party. Yay!
18. Dorothy B | June 27, 2007 at 2:48 pm

I want an Irish style stone wall around my property. Feel up to 2 1/2 acres of masonry?

Sounds like all of you had a great time and the mason work turned out beautifully. Creeping thyme smells so nice too.
19. maryse | July 2, 2007 at 9:19 pm

both are lovely. joe and i are pathological procrastinators and we never get anything done, let alone started. and it makes me angry.

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