New Roof

Or should I say "roofs?"

After putting them off for about 6 months, the roofers finally came and put on our new standing seam roof. I must say, roofers are a colorful lot, but a cool group of guys. No sissies in that bunch, and I have to confess, they were very nice to the kids, especially N, who was fascinated by all that they were doing. They were very patient and nice to him, allowing him to hang out and watch. I appreciate that.

The roofers took about three days, and worried a bit that they were going to go over the estimated price. They did a little, but not by much, and not without first consulting with us to see if the extra work required was okay by us. It was.

It did throw us out of whack, a bit, mainly because I found it hard to do things outside while they were out there, being the intimidating bunch that they were. Part of it was being self-conscious, and part of it was that I didn't want to get in the way. The kids were at clown camp, so they were out of the picture for half of the day.

Call me a wimp, but I found I didn't want to do things like hang the laundry or cook dumplings (which we now do outside) while the roofers were there. I know, I was a wimp, but somehow hanging laundry on the line outside just didn't seem like it would win me any "real man" points with these guys. Even mowing the lawn was not a possibility because the yard was overtaken by their tools and equipment.

They worked Thursday and Friday, and then told us that they'd be back on Monday to finish the job, which excited N because he loved to watch. I kept thinking that the extra day would translate into extra cost, but again, it didn't work out that way. Iron Horse was true to their original estimate.

On Monday, the guys were wrapping things up, and at one point I had to go and pick the kids up at camp. I left some beers for the guys, being the nice guy that I am, and asked them to save the bottle caps for N since he likes to collect them. The roofers enjoyed the beers and even took the bottles with them. They did, however, leave the caps, and left a few of their own that must have been sitting on the floor of their trucks, which was nice of them. They were all Budweiser, go figure.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Cleaning Roof

In preparation for the roofers to come, I set about cleaning the moss off the roof before the install the standing seam, and let me tell, that stuff is not easy to remove. The roofers told me that it was a good idea to clean off the excess moss, otherwise they would do the rest.

Figuring it would be a piece of cake, I took out the ladder and got up there, and ended up spending hours in the hot sun trying to get that stuff off.

I later learned that when the stuff is dry, it cakes on like rubber cement and requires a fair degree of effort to scrape it off. Everyone says it'll come right off with a push broom, but I ended up using a pry bar to scrape it off. Factor in the fact that it is amazingly prolific, and it's a tough job that is nearly impossible to clean thoroughly.

What is really a drag is that unless you get every little bit off, the darn stuff returns with a vengeance at the first sign of cool moisture, i.e. the next morning. I couldn't believe it.

I noticed that when the stuff is moist and plumped up from the rain, it is much easier to scrape off, so that's good to know for the next roof I need to clean, which may be never. Also, I had to remove some fairly well established wasp's nests to work up there, which always makes the job more fun and interesting, especially on top of a roof.

Then again, a real man wouldn't complain about these things, so neither will I.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

PS I was told later by the roofers that the moss will simply die beneath the metal roof, so I didn't need to fret over removing it, though stressing over life's details is like breathing for me.

Good Turnout at Karate

We had quite the good turnout at karate last night. The only people who were missing were C&I and D, but no telling when he'll be back. We had about half a dozen new students, and the return of some veterans to make for an excellent class. Master Hammond was excited, and one of the new guys is quite the junior marine. It'll be interesting sparring with him, I have a feeling it's going to fall into my lap.

I'm also determined to be more diligent about practicing my katas. This came to light when MH asked me to demonstrate a kata and I couldn't remember how to do it. He let me off the hook with a bo kata, but I felt like I really let him down. With the Grateful Dumpling and all that's going on in our lives, it's easy for karate to fall by the wayside, and I think that's a big mistake. Fatigue, however, has an interesting way of taking over.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go practice my lethal blows.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Sonja Mildner for the pic.

One Roof Down, One To Go

I finally contacted the roofers to come and put on the roof, but my work is not yet completed. How's that for living life on the edge? I still need to remove the excess moss on the shingles, and that requires me putting my feet on the roof. My plan, which is always beautiful and perfect in my mind, is to extend the ladder as far as it will go, use the other ladder to get up there, and then scale the roof by walking up the ladder. Professionals do this all the time, and they make it look so easy.

Getting on the roof is the easy part, it's the getting down part that gets me. I'd been told that removing moss was easy enough with a stiff broom, but like all things in life, it wasn't that simple. Some of that moss is glued on with super-glue. I couldn't get it off with a hammer and chisel. Actually, that would probably work, but would also put a hole in the rood.

The situation is complicated by the fact that I have no time, with making dumplings and carting the kids off to various activities and shopping for food and fighting woodchucks. I still need to finish splitting and stacking the firewood. Okay, enough of my whining, at least for the next half hour.

I spent the better part of the day scrubbing the moss off. I started with a rough brush to loosen the stuff, then used a push broom to remove the last of it. Even then, there were times when I had to use my finger to scrape the stuff off. It seems like the sun baked the stuff on. That's what happens when you put things off.

By dinner time, I'd finally gotten the roof into marginally acceptable condition, and can now move onto the other roof. I'm hoping this one won't be as bad. Truth is, the roof on the barn was pretty bad, and was left that way for years, so it makes sense that it was a challenge. The roof of our house should be interesting because it has a much steeper pitch, so when I slip and head down to the ground, I will have achieved the maximum volume possible when free-falling. I can't wait. Isn't gravity a great thing?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Suffering From Complacency

We were feeling pretty good about ourselves and the measures we had taken to keep the woodchuck out of the garden, when suddenly he was back, and with a vengeance. I should have impaled him when I had the chance. The thing that kills us is that he really went to town, eating up a lot of the beans and doing major damage to the cabbage. Our soybeans are pretty much toast, and R is at the end of her rope.

I went down and did some further mending to the deer fence, but at some point you begin to wonder if it's worth it. The battles are exhausting, not to mention seemingly futile and frustrating to no end. Then again, we could always exterminate the guy. In fact, if the situation continues, that is exactly what I'm going to do. Our good friend WM is a farmer and trapper/hunter, and an expert at all three. He has several gardens and said he's trapped a dozen skunks and almost as many woodchucks in his field. I think I'll seek his advice.

In meantime, we'll watch and wait. It is really discouraging when you walk down to the garden and see that the woodchuck has done a number on the veggies. There are so many plants out there, why ours? I know, stupid question.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to naranja for the pic.

Our Bounty and Keeping Woodchucks at Bay

The garden is moving along at a fair clip, no thanks to me because it is really the hard work of R. We're still asking ourselves if gardening is worth it. R is doing a great job, considering that she holds a job and is a mother to a children and mate to me. Life isn't easy out here in the woods, and it really struck us how busy and difficult summer is. It is really a misconception that summers are relaxing and easy. Not on this end of the planet.

We have been devouring turnips and their greens lately, and it is not something I'd eaten in the past. In fact, when she told me that she was growing them, my first thought was, why? Who eats these things.

Of course, they came out beautifully, so we immediately set about searching for recipes on the web. We came upon a great one with sauteed onions and bacon. A new family favorite, and fairly easy to prepare.

As of today, we have not seen the re-emergence of the woodchuck, so maybe my tormenting him had some effect. That, or the mending job we did on the fence. Whatever be the case, we'll take it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Plumbing Master and the Next Roof Stage

JH is one of my new heroes. The guy should wear tights and a cape. He came over and fixed the darn pipes without hesitating. I would have cogitated on the problem for months before doing anything, but he just jumped right in. And, he's got a serious tool kit (can anyone say "real-man?), complete with a propane torch. Amazing.

We set about immediately to fix the outdoor faucet. The first order of business was to remove the old one, which entailed unscrewing it, of all thing. I didn't realize it was all one piece, and you simply unscrewed it and pulled it through. At first glance, it looked to me like it had been welded together, but that seems to be some sort of artifact of continuous running water. After pulling it through, we got into JH's car and headed over to the hardware store. He even let me drive his car, which is a Honda Fit. We are toying with getting one, and it was nice to give it a spin. Nice car.

We went to Britton's, but they didn't have the right size and would have to order it, which would take a few days. Being the men of action that we are, this wouldn't do, so we jetted over to Woodstock Home and Hardware and found the right size. And they had two of them.

B never showed up, and he did call, but the guy is losing credibility over here. Not sure where to go with that one. We do need someone to come and look at that floor, however. I will give him a call.

Finally, I took the plunge and called the roofers and told them to "Come on down." Just call me Bob Barker. They said they will probably come in the next week, so I have to get on that roof and clean off all the moss. Since the trees were cut down, the moss has sort of died off, but it's still sitting on the shingles. I need to get up there with a broom and sweep the stuff off, which isn't rocket science, but entails working up on the roof, which is never a fun proposition, especially in light of the fact that my friend just recently fell off the roof and thought he broke his back. Ouch! Plus, it is not as if I have a lot of free time, especially since dumplings have taken over our lives, but no sense in whining about it... as if that ever stopped me.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to ARL and NRL for the pics.