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0 A house is like a living, sighing, leaking creature, and it always needs a little help somewhere. The house that holds St. Lydia’s has been standing for a century, and received some loving attention this week. We residents inside the house have seen the friendly faces of Georgia and Dennis Bishop popping up in the windows. This couple, our regular building maintenance volunteers, are taking on the long-term improvement project of installing new storm windows. The house’s original windows are still in place but have not always provided the most security from the weather, especially cold winds.
We really appreciate Dennis and Georgia for their commitment to us, and to the house’s many needs.
One of my first memories of Lydia’s House was a rainstorm so heavy it woke me up through the night, and when I finally got up in the morning I found the basement had flooded. Just a few inches, but still, a major project to drain and clean. And then, the next time it rained, it happened again. Our resident architect, Ben, and I started talking about how to fix it. So, a few weeks ago, a young guest and I dug up the yard, looking for the pipes that direct rain water away from the house. Once found, Ben gave directions for extending the pipes farther from the house, all the way to the gravel and concrete of the driveway. Look at the trench we dug!
I am so proud of this work. Four hours of digging, with a 7 year old assistant. We finagled some joinery, moved some pea gravel around, and tried to replace the sod. The yard looks a little bald in some spots but the basement hasn’t flooded since!
Post by Taylor Hand, Lydia’s House Associate
