Don't ask any of my three children, Tom, Anne and Elizabeth, if they want to go pick up stones. Why? Because they have already done more thantrheir share. I have never purchased stone to lay up a wall, etc.,not with so many stones out there just waiting for me to grab. Fieldstone makes a good wall. there are so many different shapes, colors and sizes. If the stone doesn't fit, it can be hammered down to size.

My home in Union County is an example of my palette of stone designs. The first wall i laid here was to level the base for new little barn. The next was a retaining wall at the north side of our cabin. We had the ridge leveled on that side since the previous slope came right up to the side of our cabin and i wanted to relocate our entrance door to that area.

Where did i get those stones? Why down in our lower driveway, of course. My husband and i hauled several loads to the upper driveway. Yes, we have two driveways. It took me most of January and February of 1988 to complete the wall. I now see it every time I look our my cabin door. Then I picked up the loose stones between Anne's cabin and the log cabin and relaid them. It changed the shape and size of the terraced areas there.

What has stone laying have to do with my children, you ask? When I ran out of laying stone salvaged on Summers Road, i cruised Union County looking for roadside stones. The sheriff told me that if a stone was outside the fence row, it was fair game. i could take it. I did, but that wasn't still enough stone for my desired projects.

Jerry and Chris Love lived nearby. There was a stream running through the back of their property with a country lane along side it. The stream was shallow at that time of the year and stones abound. It was easy picking. i would drive and Anne would walk the creek bed. Anne threw up onto the lane the stones I pointed to. Those were used to lay up Anne's fireplace wall.

The Loves had cleared the main field of their farm. More stones again. We were more careful where we stepped there. The biggest brown snakes i have ever seen scared the living daylights out of us. One looked to be at least 12 feet long. Maybe my fright added length to it.

Where does Tom and Elizabeth come in on this work crew? Not in Tennessee. It was while we lived in Michigan. I would cruise an area in our pick-up looking for suitable laying stones. When i spied some, i would stop and ask the farmer if we could glean the stones from a particular field. They always said yes. My embarrassed kids would reluctantly trudge out and pick them up. They really felt mistreated.