With all the heat we’ve been at it by 6.  We do the most ladder moving early in the morning and when the sun comes overhead we start shifting around looking for shade.  Early on in the job there is luxury with when things can get done.  There is method, but it’s based around the sun.

Then come the last days where everything easy is done, the second coat touch ups never end, and you may find yourself standing on a metal roof directly in the sun with a window AC blowing hot air in your face as you cut in a window.  That was yesterday.

At 2:00 there isn’t shade anywhere.  I was cutting in the ceiling under the porch when the insurance adjuster (for my wreck) walked up.  It wasn’t the break I was looking for.  We stood on the sidewalk in the heat while he typed in his laptop and asked me questions.  My mangled truck was sitting in the street, in front of the yard covered in porch decorations and 100lbs of scraped paint chips and burnt grass.  Ladders and paint buckets everywhere.  Baked rags.  I talked to him and picked dried latex off my knuckles, easy with the sweat.  ”Did your headlight bust or do you have it somewhere?”

“It’s at my house.  Want me to get it?”

“Yes, I need to take a picture.”

I went home and came back.

He never stopped his car from running and went inside to sit down and type.  I went back onto the porch and straightened up some lines.  He gave me two copies of his estimate to take to the shop with my truck.  I just came home and sat them down on the table. There were some bills in the mailbox.  I sat them on the table too and made a peanut butter sandwich.

My crew is all either out of town today or gone for lunch.  I thought I’d write a midday blog.  Below is a picture of my cat who comes to help.  He sleeps on this ladder when it’s in our living room.  And he follows me to work to bother me.  Get off the ladder, Coaltrain.