Yes, I Am Awesome

On Saturday, Phil got up and groaned. "I think I will be sore for the rest of my life, no matter what I do." After moving cows, he stayed inside until midafternoon. Within fifteen minutes of heading out, a downpour came, and that was the end of work for the week. It was a bit of a bummer.

I was up milking this morning. It was overcast. There was a breeze. The high was supposed to be in the mid-80s (and only supposed to feel like 102!). So I decided to head out with Phil and do the roof's sealant. We commandeered Jadon to do the screws, leaving Phil to cut plywood to length and put it in place. Did you know that a skillsaw is so awesome that you can set the depth of the blade? Phil could put a piece of plywood into place, then trim the plywood without cutting the joist it rests on. That is awesome!

Imagine: with three workers, the work goes faster! After about two hours, we were almost done with the decking over the interior, leaving just the 3' cantilever for another day. Then the sun came out.

I knew it was hot last week. No, really, I did. I knew Phil said he would get faint. But until I was up on that roof and physically felt the absolute assault of the baking sun on head and back, I think there was a tiny part of me that felt like he could have just pushed through.

Even with the sun and clouds alternating for a bit, in less than a half hour I was faint. And red. And dripping. And, yes, I am third trimester, but really, my job consisted of pulling the trigger on the caulk gun while sitting down and scootching around on my backside. I wasn't lifting plywood panels, swinging a sledgehammer, or even standing up! Phil sent Jadon in, and then, a few minutes later, me, too, while he stayed out to finish screwing down the last few panels.

So we managed about 2.5 hours of work, but got the upper decking mostly done! And I took a long, cold shower, and then sat around in a towel for a while because the idea of putting clothes back on sounded very hot.

In the afternoon, we sat inside and talked about the tasks left to be done, from quick and easy (clean off the roof) to long and involved (determine electrical circuits for each room, which includes figuring out lighting). Less than two pages to go! Of course, with a line item like "framing," it might take a while.

When it cooled down, we spent about three more hours, putting insulation in among the blocking on the south wall. This small portion of the wall will not have alternative insulation, and so I cut three sheets of blueboard into 96 pieces. It was tedious, as our blades only cut about 1/3 of the way through, so each square needed cuts on both sides, and each cut required a shallow score cut, then a deeper cut. It sprinkled a bit, but no real rain! And we finished by 8:15.

I am sunburned, and I might not have a whole lot more I can do, based on the list we made, but today felt very productive.

***

In other news....

* My camera no longer works. I have used that Nikon almost daily for the last four years, but it just quit taking a battery. I love that camera, so hopefully a repair won't be too expensive.

* Phil was sitting on the couch in the RV, talking to me while I made dinner. A mouse suddenly ran over the back of the couch, over his head, and ducked under the couch. No kidding. He set a trap immediately, then took his food to eat elsewhere (which may have been about air conditioning as much as mouse, but I'm sure the mouse didn't endear the space to him).

* I don't know if I have mentioned this, but Phil is a consummate game-player. Years ago, before we were even dating, we were at a party where one of the fun things to do was play Nertz, which is sort of like solitaire played with multiple people (build up your own solitaire pile using cards that everyone contributes to the pot). We probably played about 30 rounds, and Phil won 29. I only like to play if I can win, generally, so I don't play games with him.

Jadon is a game-lover. He has always been a good sport, and plays simply because he loves to play. Over the summer, he has a routine. He sets an alarm clock to work through part of a chess tutorial (he even puts in earbuds to listen to Adventures in Odyssey while working). Then he reads a single chapter in about eight different books. He even managed to read Agatha Christie on a schedule. I couldn't believe it. I devoured those books, a book a day. Who can wait for the ending?!

Anyway, the tutorial seems to be working. Jadon beat Phil at chess three or four times over the weekend. Phil was amazed: Jadon's game shifted from a mostly defensive game to an offensive game. He got checkmate using two bishops! (Which means nothing to me, but if you play chess, maybe it means something to you.)