Men (Lots of Them) Working (Everywhere)

 Well Mercury has certainly changed position though I'm uncertain how. We've gone from a dull and disappointing day yesterday to total chaos today. The roofers arrived at 8am and went straight to work covering things with tarps, setting up ladders and scampering around the roof like two legged mountain goats ripping off the old roof and dropping the pieces into a dumpster backed right up to the garage. No matter what window we looked out there was a guy in a hi viz yellow hoodie and red gloves toiling away with strange looking lo tech tools. My favorite was a thing that looked like a large sledge hammer which a fellow was waving just above the surface of the roof. On closer observation it turned out to be a magnet for picking up old nails. (First extra). 

We left Ozzie looking bemused at the thudding and stomping above his head, and went for our weekly visit with Kathy, picking up John's x-rays and notes from the orthopedic office on the way. It is always a  bit unnerving to read these notes which reveal things that were never revealed to us mere patients and make one wonder why they need to be revealed to anyone....

When we returned, a very big truck had backed into the driveway and a man was in the process of deploying a stair-like conveyor belt thing to carry roofing materials up to the roof (second extra). 

When I ventured out the bedroom door to try for a picture of this fascinating operation, I realized that the back yard was the scene of another massive removal operation...this time the  passiflora vine which had grown over the arbor next to the pump house, and was harboring dead leaves dirt and probably rodents, and trying to enter the study.  We were unaware that these two operations were going to be going on simultaneously, but everybody managed do their appointed tasks, while we huddled in the bedroom which is the only room in the house with shades....

I am always fascinated by watching people who know exactly what they are doing perform their jobs so well.
Listening to it all is a but much, but it is surprising what one can get used to. I've hardly noticed the familiar hum of the generator, but the fellow on the roof above the front door has a very noticeable rat--a-tat-tat cadence that sounds much like someone at the front door trying to get our attention over the general din. It's a bit like living inside a drum.

John and Ozzie managed a nap despite it all.
Tonight we're going to see David Sedaris.