Today ended a nearly 10 year hiatus from building with Dad. I LOVE working with my Daddy. We are outside nearly all day (unless we're doing inside work) making a real concrete difference in something, working with our hands. WHAT is more satisfying than working with your hands in some manner, I ask you? A BIG FAT NOTHIN' THAT'S WHAT!!! But, I am a physical girl, despite my current state of affairs.
Dearest Daddy has been re-shingling a roof, with my hubby helping on occasion when he's not at his normal job. Well, hubs has been busy, and they just haven't been on the same page as far as getting the job done. As a result, Dad has been working alone, trying to do it all himself. Usually this is fine, but this type of job really is worlds easier with help.
Long, distracting story short - I volunteered to help Daddy out. So, this morning, I got up at 5am, loaded up the kids & brought them to Ma, who would watch them for me whilst I traipsed around the roof like some little mountain goat, bringing needed supplies to Daddy like shingles, nails, underlayment, hammers, and other such fun things.
He had already done the 'easy' part of the roof - the 4/12 pitch, and better than half of one side of the 12/12 pitch.... oh, I should explain here.... a 4/12 goes up 4 inches for every foot from the edge of the roof..... it's about 18.43 degrees. Easy peasy. A 12/12 pitch rises a foot for a foot ... so the angle is right at 45 degrees.
It's tricky, walking up & down that, and true, Dad did have some toe boards up so we could scale the roof at any pitch, but.... when we started the un-finished side I regained my old mountain-goaty-ness and was running up & down the roof uninhibited by anything, and standing under the toeboard, handing supplies to Dad so he didn't have to do anything but get it done.
Even he was a little surprised that I was flyin' up & down that sucker without assistance.
Long story short - it was nice. All of it. The waking up early, the coffee with Dad & Ma, the hauling of tools & materials, the heat, the sweat, the view, and the sore ankles & knees.
I don't know yet if he wants my help on a continued basis, but I plan to get up early tomorrow, if he wants my help and do it again.
It's just one of those things that's in my blood.
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