THURSDAY, MARCH 02, 2006

The retaining wall

I mentioned our first fight was over the bathroom fan switches. I may have mentioned our second argument was over the retaining wall.

The east slope had slid into the house, and the dirt was two feet higher than it should have been, so we knew we had to do something. My thought was to terrace the slope, with large flat areas to absorb the rain and low walls to prevent runoff. However, that would have meant removing about half a dozen small trees.

Dawn wanted to keep the trees, which meant keeping the slope and building a tall retaining wall at the bottom of the hill, right next to the mansion. It also meant building a “swale” through the slope to direct the water around the house. I did not like this arrangement at all, and said so.

You can see how much they listen to me.