Day 4893

The mountain of construction materials in the front yard is now mostly up on the roof. Quite a lot got done today. The main roof is finished except for the metal flashing that goes around the fascia. The roofers still need to finish the carport, but they assure me that they can do this tomorrow morning. The translucent fiberglass covering over the atrium will be replaced as well. Our new roof may get it's first test tonight. It was supposed to remain clear all week, but a surprise thunderstorm has cropped up over Amarillo and it appears to be headed our way. I wish the roof was completely finished before it is tested by weather, but I learned long ago that I have no control over the weather. Actually we've been pretty lucky to have had two warm sunny days in  row.

I went up on the roof to inspect things for the first time this evening and everything looks a lot better. There are no low spots I can see that would cause ponding. The TPO Membrane seems tough and resilient. With any luck, this roof should drain normally now. I'm going to be real disappointed if there is still standing water after the first big rain. We'll see what happens. There's no way to determine how well the roof is going to perform until it gets wet.

I like to think of myself as a low key person who doesn't get bothered by anything. I'll have to admit though that this roof replacement has stressed me out. I didn't sleep well last night. Usually I fall asleep instantly. The work has been extremely noisy and there have been times when I though the house was falling apart. I think replacing all the rotted wood has given the house a lot more structural stability, but it won't reverse the interior damage that has already been done. There are still cracks and stains in the ceiling all over the place. One thing at a time I guess. Once we are confident that the roof no longer leaks, we can start repairing the damaged sheetrock and give the house a new coat of paint. 

We took Dawn on her early walk at the normal time. The roofers start working early, but Janet and I start our day even earlier. When the roofers arrived this morning, I was already eating my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. I stayed around the house longer than usual today because Janet wasn't going to return home until about 2 PM. I still didn't feel comfortable leaving Dawn alone with the roofers making so much noise on the roof. Today was even noisier than usual because the roofers were running a large portable generator right outside my office window. The electric welding  machine that fused the TPO segments together must have required 240 volts because they used our outdoor electric outlets for all their other tools.

When Janet returned home I took my long walk. Since it was mid-afternoon by this time, I almost immediately began to feel hot. I have a feeling that our mild Spring is just about over. It's been way too wet this Spring, but I think I prefer the rain to a long string of 100 degree days. Today I passed a group of photographers surrounding a tree. I asked what was going on and one guy said there were baby eagles in the tree. The nest looked too small for eagles, but what do I know. Eventually a guy on a bicycle showed up and told everyone that we were actually looking at baby Red Shouldered Hawks.

Tomorrow is going to be busy. The roofers are supposed to finish their work in the morning. I bet it's going to take them all day. I have an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. I always like to get a haircut before I take a trip. I'll spend part of the day packing. I haven't even started yet. The weather doesn't look great for Sunday's launch, but I'm going to try to remain optimistic. It's got to be better than my last trip to Florida.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day