I Fought the Sun

As a test this weekend, I spent about 4 hours on the side roof working on the window and on the box that supports the new gutters. If roofers can do this everyday, out in the Florida summertime, then I should be OK for one afternoon.

The smart thing to do would have been to wait until about 5 pm so that I would be shaded by the prodigious growth of bamboo nearby. But the rains start every afternoon, and I needed to get some caulking done on a dry surface. Another option was to start in the early morning. Instead, I walked out onto the roof (from our bathroom window) at about 1 pm.

My theory was this: drink plenty of water before I go out, and wear a hat, and I should be OK. As far as I'm concerned, I'm as fit as ever, better even. I didn't intend to let the Florida steam-bath summer bitch defeat me.

Here's a picture of the rotten window sill and rusted window from several weeks ago. By the time I finished this weekend, after about 4 hours in the hot sun, with the asphalt burning my feet, I had a new sill, had replaced some boards near the gutter, applied some caulking all around and put on some primer paint. And I finished just before it started raining. Perfect.

I went downstairs, no longer aware of my extremities, to tell Cheryl the good news, and she just stared at me. I opened my mouth again. "You need to go to bed," she said, "You're not making any sense."

You're welcome.