Day 3601

Daylight Savings Time is over for another year. I used to dread this day when the dogs were alive. It usually meant that their evening walk took place in darkness. It doesn't really matter anymore. I get up when it's light outside and go to bed after I finish writing the blog. I'm so slow eating breakfast that my morning walk ends up being around midday anyway. I don't know many people who like the time change. I certainly don't. Just pick a time and stick with it. When you get used to a schedule, an arbitrary change just seems silly.

The weather was nice again today. These 20,000 step Sundays are always more enjoyable when I'm not fighting the elements. As usual, I went to the gym right after breakfast. I had a god workout this week. Whatever was dragging me down last week seemed to have disappeared. Since the weather was warm, I decided to attempt some more roof repairs when I returned home. I measured where the leak was using a tape measure and then found the same spot up on the roof. The coating was perfect in this area. I looked for weak spots nearby and eventually found a few. It didn't seem possible that the minuscule tears could cause the leak, but what do I know. When there is a lot of standing water on the roof the water pressure could force a lot of water through these small holes when the silicon coating wasn't firmly attached to the substrate. Maybe this was what was happening. I ripped up the silicon coating around one of these small holes and sure enough there was water underneath.

I applied about a gallon of the silicon material to any place that seemed questionable. Truthfully, I have no idea what I'm doing. The roof shouldn't be leaking, but it is. I have a feeling that all my efforts might be pointless. The silicon dries in a nice waterproof sheet. The thickness of the coating is critical though. If the coating is too thin or too thick, it can tear easily. Sometimes even sweeping the standing water off the roof causes the silicon to tear. Since silicon doesn't really stick to what you apply it to, even a small tear can cause a lot of water to get under the coating. Using common asphalt sealers to patch the small holes won't work either because nothing sticks to silicon. The only thing that can patch silicon is more silicon, but you have to do your work perfectly. It's hopeless.

I didn't even have to wear a jacket when I took my walk this afternoon. The weather was just about perfect. There were lots of joggers and cyclists, along with quite a few picnickers. I could smell barbecue everywhere. Even the little circus was putting on a show this afternoon. I think we all know that this weather won't last long. You've got to take advantage of it when you can.

I need to try to reschedule my dental appointment tomorrow. I don't know how I managed to make a dental appointment on the same day we visit the Dalmatians. I'm sure I just wrote down the date the dentist gave me without really thinking. Usually one day is the same as the next to me. I'm lucky if I even know what day it is.

Wolfgang is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day