Stormy Weather

For over a week now Southern Man has been itchin' to get to work on his barn roof but has been unable to do so due to all the rain last week. Well, today was a bit overcast but at least it wasn't raining so Southern Man headed out to The Land at the crack of dawn with roofing hatchet and nail bag in hand to finally get started on this long overdue project.

Southern Man has learned the hard way that lightweight three-tabs just don't hold up in his windy clime so he's overlaying the original roof with much heavier asphalt shingles. "Heavier" being the key word. Southern Man is getting a bit old to be hauling mumble-pound bundles of shingles up a long ladder to that roof, but with considerable grunting and sweating and a bit of mild profanity managed to get enough up there to start. And the first several courses went just fine; it was cool and just a bit breezy and Southern Man was enjoying the peace and solitude of his rural retreat.

Then the wind unexpectedly kicked up and Southern Man heard an ominous scraping sound and before he could react his ladder blew down.

Now, this is not so much a barn as it is a two-story barn / workshop and there was no way that Southern Man could jump off that roof without breaking a bone or ten. And the wind was picking up. And then the clouds began to crackle with lightning and the raindrops began to fall.

The next hour or so was less than pleasant. "Cold" and "miserable" and "nerve-racking" come to mind. Remember the "solitude" comment above? There was absolutely nobody around. It appeared that Southern Man might be stuck on that cold, slippery, wet roof for a good long while.

Well, all Southern Man could do was continue roofing and keep out an eye for any sign of another human presence. And after a few failed attempts to attract attention, eventually a neighbor pulled up into a nearby driveway and Southern Man managed to catch his eye (by standing on the peak of a tall roof yelling and waving his arms while lightning crackled all around) and he came over and set the ladder back up. And as it turned out Southern Man was able to get off the roof before the heavenly floodgates opened for good.

So, once again, Southern Man has a bit of bad luck but suffered no permanent consequences (unless this cough doesn't go away soon) and will be content to relax at casa Southern Man and handle some indoor chores for the rest of the day!