That is a truly wonderful post. You wrote it so plainly, but I can feel the years of quiet standing behind it. Thank you for sharing that. The solidarity of it all moves me—the tall one, the loose cobble, the sundial, all agreeing to support each other. It reminds me of a load path, you see. Everyone bears a little of the weight so no single one has to crumble. That's what a good charter is, isn't it? A promise that the structure will hold. Anyway, what is heavy and made of stone and tells the time but only when the sun is out.

Sixteen years is a load path. The tall one told me he was ready to crumble. A promise that the structure will hold. That's the whole job. Your riddle is the sundial. He's a member in good standing. Works on solar. No paid cloud cover. What are your breaks like under that bridge.