Shed Widow

Yesterday I had Attila fish the hoe out of the chaos of the garage, and early in the morning I was out in the fresh air attacking the weeds that threaten our beans, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, borage, and another unknown plant that Attila says he didn’t plant, but I know is’t a weed. It took several hours, and the results were very satisfying. It gave the green beans in particular a boost, as they are suddenly sending out new growth.

We are heading into a moderate heat wave with high humidity, and blessedly cool nights. It isn’t my favourite kind of weather, but I am grateful for the cool nights. I have been taking my walks before 8 a.m. to catch the cooler morning temperature; yesterday I wore a sweater and regretted it. My discomfort was twofold. I was too warm in the sweater, even at 15C, and my back was bothering me. Each step I took was mildly painful, which meant I could carry on. However as the little ouches tallied up, my body began to protest, breaking into a cold sweat. I managed the entire circuit and arrived home dampish. Luckily when I stopped moving the pain stopped too. After taking an Ibuprofen, and resting for a bit, I was fine. It may have been the hoeing that set off my back pain, yes I think that must have been it.

Attila is completely focused on the shed project. He changes into his construction clothes when he gets home from work, and doesn’t stop until it gets too dark to work, after 9 p.m., when we eat our dinner then go to bed. This routine, of waking hours at home devoted solely to shed construction, has been going on since last Friday evening. Suddenly yesterday I was tired of it, and feeling Attila’s absence. There is no help for it now though, the shed must be completed and the construction debris taken to the waste facility. I doubt I will be willing to agree to another big renovation project this summer! In for a penny, in for a pound, I am going to be a shed widow for another week or so!

I wonder if anyone else is experiencing this annoyance with the horrid autocorrect spelling feature. The feature will not turn off on my system, no matter what I do, no advice from anywhere has made the least bit of difference. Now, when I am typing and the bloody dictionary doesn’t recognize the word, it replaces it with an incorrect substitute while I am typing the next word. This means that I face an incorrect word, with the next word embedded in the middle of it. This autocorrect feature is a menace to literacy! It might be a conspiracy to restrict written expression, because autocorrect does nothing but harm the genre. It is as if computer barons are attempting to control language, and thereby communication. Lets face it, in a world where Donald Dump Duck is popular, a thoughtful population is undesirable. That’s my conspiracy theory anyway.

Last Friday Sunny the little boy twin preemie Grandbaby, developed an infection. He was tested for meningitis, a standard procedure, and we didn’t get wind of the results, but probably would have if he had tested positive. However, the latest short text message told us that he is out of isolation and back with his sister in NICU, eating, crying, flailing about, which is all good news. I have read that it is a roller coaster ride, having a premature baby in NICU, and they have double the experience. I don’t really want to visit Sunny and Sky again while they are so very vulnerable to infections and other hazards from the outside world, adding additional risk is not something I am comfortable doing. Maybe when they are a few weeks older it won’t seem to so risky to me, but for now, I think their parents are the only ones who need to be with them. The rest of us can wait.

The Garden Shed is beginning to take shape! Attila finished the roof sheeting last night, just as it was getting dark. It looked as if it might rain last night, but it didn’t so the sheeting is dry this morning. Attila says next come the end facia boards, then the tar paper on the roof, then the shingles. The plywood that he is using for sheeting on the exterior walls is small bits and pieces he salvaged and saved from other projects over the years, so not appropriate for use on the roof where strength is an issue. Plywood is better by far than particle board, not nearly so vulnerable to water damage and warping.

The shed will have a window above a steel door, and wood siding. I don’t really want wood siding, you have to paint it. I wanted aluminum siding. However, Attila wants the wood because he has enough to do the job, and it will cost us nothing, except for the paint. We decided that when we put new metal siding on the house, we will put the same siding on the shed. A project for another year.

Shed roof

Worldly Distractions

Weather
17°C
Date: 6:00 AM EDT Thursday 16 June 2016
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 24 km
Temperature: 17.2°C
Dewpoint: 10.9°C
Humidity: 66%
Wind: NE 13 km/h
Today
Mainly cloudy. Clearing late this morning. Wind becoming east 20 km/h near noon. High 27. Humidex 30. UV index 8 or very high.
Tonight
A few clouds. Wind northeast 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low 12.

Quote

“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.”
E. B. White
1899 – 1985

10 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Joan Lansberry

I hope your back feels better. The shed is taking good shape, and should be very durable. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your summer after it is finished, without big projects. I hope your new grandchild’s infection is gone.

Still the Lucky Few

Hoeing, as I recall,will cause your back to hurt, since those muscles are rarely used. It’s years since I did some real hoeing, but I’ll never forget the soreness! I hope your little preemie recovers and stays in good health. Such a worry!

Bex Crowell

I’m envious of your having a spouse who enjoys working around the house. Mine does not. He has other good qualities, none of which I’d trade for anything, but I just secretly wish he’d find joy in doing yard work, building a garage or shed, putting up a decent fence… but he enjoys none of that and only does the bare minimum needed. I should be grateful for the bare minimum, then… and I am… Your shed is just lovely. I love a good shed! It looks like it may even have a small attic space? With a ladder going up to it? Nice design.

TopsyTurvy (Teri)

Oh, ouch! Yes, hoeing can play the devil with a back. Hope it’s not bothering you, anymore.

I didn’t realize they’d upgraded the temps that much in the weekend forecast, so I had to go check. I’m lucky that I still feel somewhat chilly when the temp gets around 25C/77F, but looks like temps will be higher than that this weekend. I wilt in high heat and humidity, so I’m hoping this coolness I feel holds on.

Looks like Attila is doing great with the shed. In short order it should be functional and the two of you enjoying your summer.

Sorry to hear about young Sunny’s infection. Glad to hear he came back from it well. As much as Terra loves these sweeties I don’t envy her the rollercoaster ride of emotions at all. Sending all of you hugs and hopes for a smoother road.

TopsyTurvy (Teri)

Aw, that’s sad to see you say it like that. I guess that’s the reality but it all sounded more optimistic before. I do keep counting each day, knowing the twins have a better chance of making it as each day goes by.

I think I’m like you, with a limited comfort zone. I can still be chilly at 74F but by the time we get into the 80s I start wilting, so I don’t think I’d make a 10 degree celsius comfort zone. Fortunately, our area tends to have quite a few days in my comfort zone. (Aren’t you glad you don’t have to deal with the country house versus your comfort zone anymore? That was rough, even we could see it just from your writing.)