Four Barn Stars

In the museum at Rievaulx Abbey (the locals pronounce it “REE-vo”) in North Yorkshire, there’s a half-ton lump of lead on display. It’s all that remains of the abbey’s roof and windowpanes.  Nearly 500 years ago, Henry VIII gave orders for the lead to be melted down and carted south – partly to fill his coffers, and partly because he knew no building would remain standing long without a roof. The only reason this particular chunk of lead is still here is Henry’s men were in such a hurry they accidentally brought down part of the abbey on top of it before it could be hauled off. This spring I’ve wished for a lead roof, or anything more substantial than these flimsy asphalt tiles. We’ve had several aggressive wind storms this spring, and each one sent more tiles flying. Our 19-year-old roof was patched three times, but this year it's a total loss. The new roof was due yesterday, so of course it's raining. All week.