Most of you are probably thinking that summer either just ended a week ago, or is still sticking around (because you live in warmer climes than here). For us, for my family specifically, as soon as summer was winding down, we were racing against winter. We may have just lost the race. Remnants of a tropical storm are bringing soaking rain to the mountains this week, and it is going to make it difficult to finish the cabin. We had about six or seven deck boards to place on the peak of the roof, and we are not sure when we will be able to do them now. The man may be able to get replacement tires on the truck and go up alone tomorrow. (Tires are necessary after the blowout on Saturday. He will not go up without a new spare.) I can't go with him, because I have a dermatology appointment. (I've learned to stay on top of skin cancer screenings now, BEFORE there is a problem.) If he can't go up tomorrow, we may be screwed. There is a chance of snow in the seven day forecast, and our property is at a high enough altitude that we can anticipate the precipitation there will indeed be frozen.
What do we do? There's a tarp over the gap in the roof. It will hold for a while, but it is not secured well enough or strong enough in general to support an entire winter's snow load. We have to do something more permanent. Wednesday is out for both of us. Thursday is out for him. The greatest chance of rain is Friday. Saturday is a maybe. Sunday is when the temperatures drop and we could even see snow down here. I can't handle the idea of him on a slick wet roof by himself, affixing the last six boards. I had to spot him on the ladder last time. I'm really at a loss as to where this is going to go over the next month. I guess we can hope for a warm dry spell later in the month. Otherwise it's going to be like those HGTV shows from New England or Canada, where they are in the exact same situation (just with bigger equipment and TV cameras).
I can tell the weather has turned by counting the number of cats attached to me at any given moment of the day. When Harvey was a baby, my daughter used to call the pile of kittens in his litter the "snuggle puggle." It was a nonsense phrase that fit perfectly. Now that it's cooler here, I am the epicenter of the snuggle puggle. If I'm in my chair in the living room, I never have fewer than two cats on me. Yesterday and today I had four. As I type now, I have Athena balanced on my leg, desperate for me to close the computer and pay attention to her. I always threatened to get one of those baby slings to wear Rabbit as I moved around the house. How will I manage to carry more than one at a time like that?
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