Dirty work / raising the roof prep

Dirty Work:

I have been having a hard time with my back ever since we got back from Montana. The drive really messed with my back equilibrium and even the adjustment at the chiropractor hasn't really relieved it; I should probably go back sooner than my normal every three weeks. Because of this issue with my back I have been a little leery to do any real strenuous work with digging or lifting. I was really concerned I was going to bend over and pick up something small and blow another disc, like it happened last time. So I have spent a lot of the last couple weeks taking it easy, stretching, icing, laying flat on my back as much as possible to see if over a week it would loosen up enough for me to feel like it wasn't going to snap at any moment.

That didn't happen so I was out today shoveling dirt hoping that the work would loosen things up where taking it easy wasn't working. I seemed to do just fine except for being a little weak, or more like not as strong. The full wheelbarrows of dirt seemed to be so hard to handle today, at least at first.

What I got done today:

• the trench along the south side of the house for the lawn sprinklers got fully filled in
• the extra piles of dirt that had grass growing in them were moved to the front yard (about 5 loads in the wb)
• the area between the house and the cherry trees got graded down to about where it needs to be
• the trench on the south west side of the Family Room, that goes to the sprinkler valve box, was halfway filled in
• filled in part of the trench by the deck area where the drain connects into the downspout drain so that I didn't have to avoid the hole and dip there when running the wheelbarrow by that side
• the grass that was growing along the south planting beds that I didn't quite get with the sod cutter was removed that the ground along that whole area was dug down to make it more level with the rest of the lawn area.
• I started digging out for a second row of pavers in front of the shed so that the dirt doesn't spray up on the shed when it rains ( I need to power wash the shed walls to get the accumulated spray removed; the hose sprayer isn't strong enough to remove it and I don't want to have to scrub it.)

The trench is filled and the ground around it is mostly leveled out

This shows the area to the side of the house where I removed the pile of dirt that was there and graded it below the siding and away from the house toward the cherry trees. It really seems like I am going to need to remove a bunch of dirt from the lawn area to get the yard graded to the back fence. Not fun.

I used about half this pile of dirt that was left over from digging the dry wells. I should be able to use the rest of it in the trenches that are left and in the raised beds I will be putting in along the south side of the house and along the south fence.

It looks like a long list but really doesn't seem like that much sitting here thinking about what it feels like I accomplished. It was satisfying especially since I did all this after getting up at about 11:30am and getting out there about 12:30 with only about an hour and a half break at dinner time to eat, read and rest my back. I got up so late cuz I have been trying to finish a book, Isaac Asimov's Foundation series "Second Foundation". I went to bed last night, well this morning about 4am.

Raising the roof prep:

I ordered the roofing materials for doing the rest of the roof. It will be here on Wednesday and then I need to wait to make sure there is going to actually be a dry spell before starting to tear the roof off, re-sheet almost the whole front and side roofs and then put on the new tar paper, ice and water shield (in the valleys and on the hips), and shingles.

I hope they are able to get the shingles to the back side of the house. If it is the same boom loader flatbed that they delivered with last time it shouldn't be a problem. They were able to get to the ridge and seemed to have more extension left in the boom they used to move the pallets of shingles. I really hope I ordered enough.

I really need to find some help in getting this done since doing it myself will probably take me about 3 weeks. Dad is planning coming to help, as long as I can actually start the week after next and it doesn't end up later when he will be gone to his 50 Year High School Reunion trip. 

(I just realized I should take some ibuprofen so I keep the inflammation, after the work today, at a minimum. BRB)

I have such a hard time asking people to help me, especially since most of the people I would be asking are not going to be available during the week and that is when I would be able to get a lot of work done. I guess if I can get some help with the exhausting work of removing the old roof, shingles and sheeting, that would put me in a position to get the new sheeting down and tar paper on pretty quick. I really don't feel close to any of the people we know here and even though I know they would probably take the time to help if they were available, I have a hard time thinking they would be glad to help me.

The weather forcast keeps changing from 80s to 90s to partial rain to showers. I haven't checked it lately, sooo..... It still says that it is supposed to rain from next Saturday through the 4th, then get back up into the 80s by the 7th (where ther 15 day forecast ends). I will have to see how that changes over the next week and how the week after seems to be looking before I will know if I can start on the 5th or if I can possibly get some time start earlier.