Stone wall

For the past three winters, I have hired a young landscaper for stonework in my garden. Two years ago, he removed a concrete sidewalk and rerouted a path to the front door with Delaware river rock.

Last winter, he lined the bed near the street with large flat stones. I liked the look, so this year, I asked him to replace the mismatched pieces of wood that separate the large planting bed from the grassy path.

He came to the house early one cold morning to discuss the project. He asked how tall I wanted the stone. Then he drove two stakes into the ground and suspended a string between them. He asked me to verify the height. Later he brought two samples of stone to the house. I made my choice and he began.

When I came home from work and saw the wall, I was shocked.

Before

After

The stones in front of the house were tidy and low. But on the East side of the garden, the soil line dropped and the stones were stacked to compensate, forming a small wall.

Before

After

Before

After

Weeks have passed and now my eyes are accustomed to the size and scale of the stone wall. New foliage from the hellebores soften the lines. Squirrels sit on top of the wall, eating acorns and chipmunks scurry in the gaps between stones. The low stone wall is the centerpiece of my winter garden.

Arizona

We flew back from Arizona at midnight. At the airport, the wind bit our faces.

Cold crept up the sleeves of our shirts and shimmied down our spines.

We drove home in the dark. The next day was dim and damp, with temperatures in the 30's. Snow flurries began during the evening rush hour. I don't complain, especially to people from the Midwest, but even the hellebores are weary of winter.

Back in Arizona, the alyssum clusters in small piles of white blooms. Fronds of ferns form green bushy cones. Cacti are blanketed with round red buds. Grapefruit and orange trees are heavy with yellow and orange fruits.

Even the rainy days are pleasant, with soft showers that last for hours.

Arizona. Even the name sounds beautiful.