Time is running out on the roof. I need to finish it before temperatures fall, before school starts, before the rain returns. Two lovely friends had helped me finish the wood, but now I was back to two hands. Two hands, and a whole lot of motivation.

I have never redone a roof before, never worked with this material. Everything I know is from videos. Working alone for most of this project often added challenges. But the garden has also been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health.

My biggest helpers: two clamps, two ladders, and, of course, Pepper. Pepper has been a lot more interested in trying to open walnuts, though. The ladder, on the other hand, has been really good at holding things.

I’ll have to come up with a nice thank you for the garden neighbor who’s let me borrow his tall ladder for weeks.

Another big help: prep days! I trimmed all the pieces the day before to not have to switch gears too often.

The roof has three layers: wood, this stuff, and an outer layer that pulls it all together. I am so glad I decided to switch to a different outer layer. I really didn’t like working with these sheets. Building a roof is a lot of fun. This step wasn’t. But I still enjoyed the progress I made.

A lot of things were adjusted to make them work. None of that would work if this was the outer layer or if I was doing a second one with the same material. Things still went smoothly (okay, kinda) while I could stand on the ground. But higher up, I just had to hope the sheets wouldn’t tear too much.

A second ladder would have helped but I only had one, so I made it work. Nail by nail, sheet by sheet, I figured it out. I’m glad for every bit of mobility training I’ve done since getting my diagnosis last year.

These metal sheets will help direct the rain into the soon-to-be gutters. I don’t have gutters yet, so that will be a project for another day. The sheets sit between the layers, so they had to go up. I don’t like how shiny they are, but anything else would have broken the bank. So, shiny it is.

When I had finally finished the first side of the roof, I had to do it all again. Clamp, roll, hammer in the nails. Rinse, lather, repeat. Each side has a tree trunk in the way. I should have chopped them down weeks ago. Every lane made me more doubtful that I had enough material. Would I need to go to the hardware store yet again?

It was so tight that I couldn’t not try finishing. So I kept at it. Every roll was a different fight. But in the end, they all came on. Mistakes were definitely made. But with the outer layer I chose, they won’t be problems. In the end, I had exactly enough material including what was left from the temporary roof fix. Phew.

Finishing this step has been the most rewarding part of the project so far. It’s not pretty but it’s all good.

So long, and thanks for being here.