Hail, hail, the gang’s all here
I arrived about 8:30 p.m. I saw several large sticks in the road, and one huge tree trunk that had come crashing down (luckily, beside the road). I stopped to clear some downed brush out of the way. There had been a tremendous hail storm in the area last Wednesday, but I wasn’t worried. After all, my cabin is pretty sheltered down in the holler. And everything looked right when I pulled up to the door.
When I came in, I smelt a musty odor, as if something had gotten wet. My cabin has always been very snug, so I couldn’t imagine well what that odor could be coming from. I thought maybe some rain had come in the windows, so I made sure they were drawn fairly low. Then I went to bed.
Getting up this morning, my bare feet discovered a damp patch of carpet, just below one of the skylights. Looking up, I saw a nice, big hole in the skylight. Checking closer, I found that all four skylights had holes in them of one size or another. That immediately re-arranged my day; laying block would have to wait. Time to fix the roof when the sun is shining.
Patching the skylights would require me to get up on the roof. Those of you who know me well know how much I love roof-and-ladder work. *shudder* Still, needs must when the deel drives, so I got out my 24’ fiberglass extension ladder and got ready to rise in the world. I pre-cut several small pieces of flashing material to cover the holes and put them on with duct tape. I noticed a piece of shingle missing over one corner of a skylight, so I used some more flashing and nailed it over the bare spot.
I went into town and bought some window and door sealant. (On the way back, I checked with some tire people about getting new ag tires on my little tractor. I’ll get that done in a couple of weeks.) Once I got back to Wilderstead, I used the sealant on the inside of the skylights, with a dab or two on the outside. That ought to hold things for a while. Monday, I’ll check with my insurance guy and see what it’s going to take to get the skylights replaced. May need to re-roof the cabin just to make sure everything’s up to snuff while I’m at it. We’ll see.
Five, six, pick up sticks
I still had time to lay some block, if I could; however, the trench was all muddy, with standing water in the part I needed to work on. It needs a couple of days to dry out before I can get down in there. I may have to take some extra time off to catch the good weather, since I really, really want to get this first course completed all round before we get a hard freeze.
Baulked of my goal, I got my wheelbarrow out and picked up fallen sticks to throw on the woodpile. Then I got out my bow saw and cut down some saplings that needed to be trimmed up. I also did some digging and patching on my road spur to keep the water flowing in the side channel. It tends to fill up with mud and then overflow onto the road, washing out the gravel as the water finds its way downhill.
Overall it’s been a productive day. Gorgeous weather, too. And the damage to the cabin could have been far worse if I hadn’t come out here so soon after the big storm. So I guess I’ll give thanks to God for the gift he gave and quit grumbling about the gift I was hoping for. ‘S’all good.