Chimney Repair

Chimney repair began this morning, early. Two young men are sawing out the damaged bricks and mortar, then replacing them. While this guy was checking his text messages, his partner was in the driveway, mixing Portland and sand with water on a piece of plywood. The mix looked like a thick pudding being stirred with a trowel. He handed it up in what looked like an oversized pastry bag. If the rain holds off for a few hours, they may finish the job today. The white tarp is covering the temporary wooden frame protecting our new (December) heat pump. R. is outside, hovering from a distance, doing odd jobs in the yard. He just cut down the Japanese Maple that the drought killed a year or two ago. Even though we haven't seen leaves on the little tree in almost two years, there's a huge empty space there now.