"Don't Fall Off!"

Do you like high places? I certainly don't! And that's why when I spent an evening holding lights for Beka and Dad as they nailed down tar-paper, every other sentence that I spoke was "Don't fall off!", or "Be careful, everyone." They didn't seem to heed my warnings because they continued hurrying around, dancing jigs, and walking a little too close to the edge for my liking. (Actually, Beka was the only one who danced any jigs, and that lasted for about two seconds. I stopped her before she got any farther.)

But although I spent one short (though it seemed long enough) night on the roof, Beka and Dad have spent weeks up there. First, they wrenched out all the nails in the old metal roofing that has been on our roof since the house was built. Then they rolled up the metal, leaving the mouse-eaten, water-damaged insulation exposed. After that, they started building the roof of our new porch, which covers one side of the front of our house, and then built a smaller awning to shed rain on the other half. Then came the long process of replacing the insulation. After a day or two, on one particularly windy day, the wind did us a big favor and tore the rest of the roofing all the way off on the side Beka and Dad were working on. (Incidently, in the process of tearing off the metal, the wind also hurled two or three cinder-blocks off the roof. Most of them just went BUMP BUMP BUMP down the roof and landed on the ground, but one of them went hurtling through the roof of a small, movable chicken pen nearby. It came to a rest after going through the wire on the side of the pen as well.)

Beka and Dad working on replacing the insulation. Photo by me.

Once all of the insulation was replaced (a mammoth job, believe me!) they started in on the plywood. All new wood was needed. That took a long time, since each sheet of plywood had to be hauled up onto the roof, cut to fit were it belonged, and then screwed into place. After all of the plywood was in place, big rolls of tar-paper were lugged up and nailed down. (That's where my long, cold night of holding a light came in. We were expecting rain that night, and so they wanted to get all the tar-paper on before it came. So, they worked until 9:30, and a light was needed. Fortunate me was chosen as light-holder (I was a natural candidate since everyone else was gone shopping) and I got to walk around on the roof and climb up and down ladders and do all sorts of other 'pleasant' things. By the time we were done, my bare feet were killing me, and I had had more than my share of roof work.

It didn't take long to get all the tar-paper on, and once it was all nailed down, we got to actually start putting up the Fabral roofing! It was a very exciting occasion when the first piece was brought up. It turned out that the long metal strips required quite a few handlers, so I was called on every hour or so after that to help lift up the heavy metal.

The north side half finished. Photo by Mom.

Our new Burgundy roof began to take shape. Boy, were we excited! Strip after strip was laid down, and this ol' house was looking like new! Progress was rapid once Beka and Dad got started, so every day we could walk out and see something new.

But all of the Fabral is on now. At least, on the south side of the roof. The north side remains un-touched. We'll do that side next. It's Saturday afternoon as I write this, and right now Beka and Dad are up on the roof securing metal panels and trying to figure out how to keep rain and wind out of the crown of the roof. We're taking a week break before starting on the north side, and we want everything to be safe and snug while we take it.

The finished north side. Doesn't it look nice? Photo by me.

We're all very glad to have our new Burgundy roof. We've had trouble with leaks every rainy day for the last few years. Poor Beka especially had it bad. Every time it rained, her roof leaked directly onto her bed, and the next morning she would have to wash and dry all of her blankets and let her mattress dry out! So, she's happy to be helping with a water-tight new roof.

Although we still have the whole north side ahead of us, we're pretty happy about the south side being ALMOST done. (A few more hours, I think, and all will be complete.) I am hoping that the north side won't take as long as the south one did, since Beka and Dad now have all the methods worked out, and are pretty good at screwing down sheets of metal! But then again, who knows just what we're going to find under that north side when we lift the metal roofing?

The Weekly Bible Verse

1 Samuel 3:10: Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" and Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

Bits and Pieces

Is fall here or am I just imagining things? Well, what else can it be when every morning I hear Matthew making hot-chocolate? What else can it be when Timmy and Caleb go out to do the chores wearing coats? What else can it be when fall decorations are popping up all over and pumpkins are selling like crazy at the local IGA? What else but fall?

Some nice pumpkins at our vegetable stand. Photo by me.

Things have been pretty slow here this week. Just work and work and work and more work and a little school on the side. You may have noticed that my articles lately have been pretty general, and not about specific events. That's because if I wrote about specific events I'd be writing about washing dishes and scrubbing floors. And you probably have enough dirty dishes and floors of your own without hearing about mine!

A Word About The Weather

It's warmed up a little bit this week. I had to water, since we're short on rain. (Hasn't that line been repeated almost every week this summer?) But since we need good weather for our work on the roof, I guess we can't complain very much, can we?

A Word Of Wisdom

"If one is too lazy to think, too vain to do a thing badly, and too cowardly to admit it, one will never attain wisdom." -Cyril Connolly