I was almost done with the first half of the roof. When I put it in, I realized the hut was a lot more off kilter than I’d thought. I’d have to do it all again.

The last row was a little shorter than the rest, so I had to learn how to use a jig saw. These boards are a weird kind of glued-together wood. But I figured it out. When I tried to fit the board, I realized the roof was tilted about 5 cm (2 inches), and it wouldn’t work.

Every board would need to be shifted, so I decided to also move them down to have a full top row. Might as well do it right, if I do it all again. Let’s just say, I struggled.

I measured… Took down boards I’d just put up… Measured some more… Fought to put boards up again… But slowly, I was making progress again. I went home feeling accomplished.

The next day, after chopping a whole lot of pears and apples to dry for granola, I returned to finish the first half (again). Something still didn’t feel right, so I took down boards yet again.

I’m pretty sure I’ve redone the bottom row four times by now.

It was time to figure this out, so I climbed the roof with a level. I needed to figure out if everything was the same kind of crooked or not… Every board seemed to fall at least once. I admit I got frustrated. But never for long 🙂

For most of the rows, I was able to move boards sideways which speed things up a lot. Before long, the first full row was up again. This time, every board is held by at least three screws (that actually hit beams…).

Slowly, things slotted into place. Literally. The birds were singing. I was making progress.

When the top-most board slipped, my finger got caught between the two boards. I’m proud how calm I stayed. I properly secured the boards, then climbed down to take a moment. Just a cut and a contusion. It’s fine.

But I was exhausted, so I took down the two boards that had half-fallen, and called it a day.

But it didn’t take long, and I was back at it. As the beams don’t align with my boards, it wasn’t always easy to figure out where to screw. It’s probably good I had to redo this… This time, everything aligns, everything fits, everything is properly fixed.

Before long, the first half of the roof was finally done. The second half is on a deadline. The ants would prefer I leave the roof as it is. With only a week left (including a festival weekend), I had to get a move on. Sorry, ants. Taking off the rotten old material is tedious. But I’ll get it done.

So long, and thanks for being here.