I spent a lot of time on the roof today. It was at one of my sister’s places. Her houses are really rustic and stay together with a bottle of glue, a hammer, and a prayer.
A huge part of the roof over the living room was down to the plywood recently. In the background is the mound of flat roofing that had not been put on properly and was blown into a pile in a big storm last week.
First, we had to rebuild the edge by screwing the plywood down to the 2×6 fascia boards. Each of us was on different sides of the same ladder in the photos below. After I took a picture of her, she really said this to me, “I need to take a picture of you now. After they find us dead when we fall off the ladder, they will see that we were taking photos of each other.” That’s why I’m laughing in the photo of me. But, I did TRY TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL after that!
The photos of us are before we had tar all over our hands and on my hat, shirt, pants and the bottom of my shoes. Who knew roofing could be such a messy affair!? We pulled that giant mound of roofing back over the plywood, nailed it down, and put roof pookie over all the edges, seams, and on the nail tops (We also made a huge mess with it!) Then we celebrated by sucking up rainwater from the carpet in the living room. Hopefully, the next rain will not come into the house again thanks to our work up on the roof today.
It’s funny how a title of a slice creates images and you really don’t know what the slice is really about without reading. I was expecting this leisurely rooftop experience. It was hard work instead. Hat off to you!
I also was not expecting a DIY roof repair job with sister. A cheerful, hard working crew! Inspiring!
Sisters for the win! I love how putting a roof back together with your sister seems like no big deal for you. Wow! Color me impressed! Also, your sister’s comment and your smile are priceless!
I had visions of a relaxing rooftop time reading and celebrating a beautiful view. You had a view all right, just not what I expected. How impressive that you took on this work yourself- I would be clueless!
Denise, I thought I love this part best:
I spent a lot of time on the roof today. It was at one of my sister’s places. Her houses are really rustic and stay together with a bottle of glue, a hammer, and a prayer.
That third sentence just sets the scene.
Then, I realized this was my favorite:
After I took a picture of her, she really said this to me, “I need to take a picture of you now. After they find us dead when we fall off the ladder, they will see that we were taking photos of each other.”
Sisters on a roof – – – roofing together, goofing together, smiling for photos in all the hard work. I don’t know what most folks call living, but when you can find fun in the desert heat with your sister on a roof actually reroofing together because her house is held together with a bottle of glue and a prayer, you are living right. I want to step into that world with my brother and have a roofing challenge just to see if we could do what y’all did. (I already know we couldn’t, I just want to show him.). I hope you print the story and share it. In fact, I think it should go to a contest. There is so much here that is teeming with life applications for all of us.
I am so impressed with your skills, Denise. You are simply amazing!
What Kim said above, “…roofing and goofing together.” You have made me want to call my younger sister, to revisit our antics before life got so serious. (I also couldn’t stop humming, “Up on the Roof” even if the respite the roof provides in the song has an entirely different mood.)
Wow, that view! And wow, what skills! I love how informative and funny this post is.
Wow I am so impressed with your skills. It looks like you had a lot of fun while working extremely hard. I hope the roof stays put now!
Denise, I read this just after midnight last night and didnt have the bandwidth to comment then. But it left me with such a good feeling. I always wished for a sister. Could you have imagined, as a kid, that this age would find you laughing as you took photos to explain how you died together?!
And I dk if you meant this or not, but your title has put that great song into my head 🙂
I love the smiles on your faces! You sure make roofing work look like fun 🙂 what a memory to make together! And that is a gorgeous view you had from the roof!
What an industrious day. I thought I would be reading a slice about a day spent with a pitcher of iced tea and a novel – up on the roof. Nothing better than a day with your sister though!
My favorite part is that you took pictures of each other so that after someone found you dead they would know you were taking pictures of each other! Such joy in the incredibly hard (and scary) work of fixing the roof!
Denise,
Oh my, baby Jesus, you are brave. No way in the underworld will you ever find me up in the roof. There are professionals who do this kind of thing, and I’m happy to leave the task to them. Your sister is lucky to have you willing to risk your life for her. Now stop doing dare devilish things.