The trials and tribulations of being a whimpy girl.

Well I got up this morning really excited because I thought it would be another beautiful day like yesterday and I could get lots done.  So we decided to run in to Home Depot first and get 5 squares of shingles and other miscellaneous do-it-yourself stuff.  The mornings are about 30 degrees so you can’t play outside when it’s that cold, so we go shopping.  $516 bucks later we arrive home.  Lynn is pooped and I want to get things done.  He hasn’t been feeling too good lately and I know that standing or walking is pretty much out of the question in the afternoon.

So armed with a pry bar, hammer, gloves, tin snips and a bottle of water, I head to the back porch.  Was pleasantly surprised that we wouldn’t have to replace the roof rafters, but needed to clean off a section and put up a 4X8 sheet of chip board.  Optimistic I could get it done myself, I waded into the deep end so to speak.  Cleaned off as much as I could reach on the ladder with a lot of reaching  and stretching but not quite as far as I wanted to get.  Don’t look forward to climbing on the roof, that’s when things get a little hairy.

Then the wind picks up and it starts to rain and I hear the fire siren which usually means a fire or flood or accident, or maybe a tornado.  Turned out to be a fire, probably a field fire from the looks of the smoke at a distance.  We have a wonderful volunteer fire department, hence the fire siren.

Oh, I hate tornadoes just a hair more than I hate heights and ladders.  Oh, I forgot to mention that in this post, but mentioned it in posts from last year.  So not feeling real comfortable on the ladder, I know that I need to get one of those for 4X8 sheets of chip board from the dream house to my back yard.  About 300 feet, and Lynn just isn’t up to it.  I don’t want the rain to drip all through the roof.  Darned old weatherman, I would like to throttle him.  Though I did expect rain tomorrow but the rest of the week is supposed to get better.  In the high 50’s.

Called Troy my step-son who lives about 1,000 feet away to come help me with the 4X8 sheet.  Really hate to as for help, as that is when I feel like a sissy girl.  If it doesn’t require a lot of brawn, I can handle it, and I keep forgetting that I am a card carrying member of AARP and have been for a few years.  That would be I’m ‘old’ for those too young to know what AARP stands for.  Will work tomorrow, then may take a few days off to get more done.  We’ll see how it goes and play it by ear.

Well there were wood shingles covered by at least two layers of asphalt shingles then on top of that about 3 inches of dirt and all the vines running through it.  Good rich loam.  Potting soil.

I have a vision of how I want to do the back porch and it is going to look great.  I’m an optimist.  Can’t wait to show it off when it is finished.  I hope it will be finished within the month.  Also, I have Home Depot searching to see if they can match some of the fascia trim around the roof as some of it has rotted through.  Oh, and I found square nails when I was tearing the stuff off.   This house was built in 1898 which is old for the west coast.  This town was just settled in 1865.

Off to my real job tomorrow so probably won’t up date until next weekend unless I take a few days off.

Just thought I would add a photo of me finishing my first and only 10k.  On St. Patrick’s day 2010, if I am remembering correctly.  Since I don’t want to share any pictures of the porch until I finish it, you will have to settle for my backside.

Ann, the whimpy roofer.